Case Against Chevron for Human Rights Violations in Nigeria to Proceed: Plaintiffs Win Right to Go Forward

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, MAY 12 -- Plaintiffs charging Chevron with human rights violations for attacks on Nigerian citizens won the right to proceed with their case in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco today. The ruling comes shortly after an April 7 ruling by the court denying Chevron's request to have the case moved to Nigeria.

The case arises from two attacks on Nigerian citizens who opposed Chevron's human rights and environmental actions in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. In one, occurring in January, 1999, two villages were attacked and burned to the ground by Nigerian troops using Chevron-leased helicopters and boats. A 7-year-old girl was shot as she waved at one of the helicopters; several others were killed -- some in front of family members. In the second attack, in May, 1998, several Nigerians were shot, two were killed and two were tortured for conducting a peaceful protest on one of Chevron's offshore oil platforms. Chevron personnel accompanied the Nigerian military forces in both instances.

"Our clients were brutally murdered and some were tortured. This decision allows them to go forward and obtain justice in a U.S. court," said Dan Stormer, one of the attorneys representing the injured individuals and the relatives of people who were murdered.

Defendants had argued that plaintiffs had not stated sufficient information to proceed against Chevron U.S. for the acts in Nigeria, that the attacks on the protestors on the oil platform did not constitute human rights violations and that the case could interfere with U.S. foreign policy. This motion was denied and the Court allowed the case to proceed to the next stage to prove the case on evidentiary grounds.

"The plaintiffs are now able to pursue their case under well-established precedents that allow claims in U.S. courts for human rights violations such as summary execution and torture," said plaintiffs' counsel Jennie Green of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

The judge ordered a further scheduling hearing for June 16, 2000.