
About this episode
After Texaco (now Chevron) discovered oil in Ecuador, they left behind an ecological and public health disaster so severe that experts have dubbed it the "Amazon Chernobyl.” The local population then sued the company sparking an epic courtroom drama spanning multiple decades and costing billions of dollars. Leading that fight are two outspoken attorneys: an American outsider not afraid to make enemies, and an Ecuadorian lawyer who risked his life to stand up for his people.
Featured in this episode:
Pablo Fajardo
Steven Donziger
Sources:
William Langewiesche’s Vanity Fair profile “Jungle Law” https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2007/5/jungle-law
Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “Reversal of Fortune” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/09/reversal-of-fortune-patrick-radden-keefe
Joe Berlinger’s documentary “Crude”
Paul M. Barrett’s book Law of the Jungle
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Lawless Planet publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Lawless Planet

How Trump’s EPA Chief Is Dismantling Climate Regulation
Lawless Planet

The Mining Disaster That Brought Down the 'Dark Lord of Coal'
Lawless Planet

Church Rock: America's Forgotten Nuclear Disaster
Lawless Planet

Who's to Blame for L.A.'s ‘Zombie Fire’?
Lawless Planet