1. What is the name of the indigenous tribe most affected by the oil pollution in Ecuador?
The Manohla Dargis indigenous tribes people who are living in the Amazonian rainforest.
2. Does the Chevron attorney think the Indians have a right to live in the oil production area?
NO. The defense attorneys Adolfo Callegas and Diego Larrea insinuate that the monetary gain in the area surpasses the human life. Doak Bishop one of the advocates for chevron calls the people ‘irrelevant’.
3. What does the Ecuadorean lawyer for the plaintiffs do on the bus?
According to Enrique Cajabal, the Chevron attorney, the lawyers for the plaintiffs forge signatures and coach the respondents on what to state in court the next day.
4. Does the Ecuadorean lawyer have first-hand knowledge of the Texaco pollution? Why?
Yes. He is Pablo Fajardo a poor kid living in the Ecuadorian countryside, who toiled as a manual laborer, suffered the consequences yet finished a law degree to defend the community.
5. How much debt does the American law firm for the plaintiffs tell the Ecuadorean lawyer they have accumulated on the case?
The amount is about 27.3 billion dollars but later paid 18 billion dollars in March 2012.
6. Do the plaintiffs’ attorneys expect to be paid?
No. however, if any payment is to be made at all, they would charge lower amounts than a similar high profile case elsewhere. However, the case was for public good.
7. What does it mean when a law firm takes a case “pro bono”? (You may have to look this up online.)
The case of public good, with no charging of money or favor is the meaning of pro bono.
8. Does the Chevron scientist believe there is an increased risk of cancer in the polluted area of Ecuador?
They believe that it is inevitable but argue that they did so with full permission from the government. However, they try to shift the blame to the local people by producing questionable samples of earth
9. Can all the pollution from drilling be seen on the surface of the earth?
According to the evidence presented in court, the surface of the earth around the villages has oil remnants.
10. How does the Chevron attorney respond to the demonstration of the plaintiffs, which reveals oil under the surface of the ground?
She brushes the allegation and uses the fake samples which are later disqualified from the evidence that is to be presented to the judge
11. Who does the Chevron attorney blame the pollution on?
The Ecuadorian government, which he claims, knew the whole project from the start and gave written consent.
12. Did Texaco try to protect local waterways from the pollution created by the waste pits?
No. They dumped millions of gallons of crude into waterways and dint bother to create a safe disposal of crude.
13. Does the Chevron scientist believe that there is any proof that the drinking water is polluted by oil?
No. Why does she think this? They have taken water samples
14. What does the plaintiffs’ lawyer visit the judge in Quito?
The Ecuadorian lawyer visits the judge and leant that the defense attorneys were threatening with article 292 to the lawyers
15. How many babies in the village of San Carlos have skin diseases?
Nearly every kid of the 30,000 population was been affected by the polluted environment courtesy of chevron.
16. What does the Chevron scientist think is the source of the skin rashes?
Poor personal hygiene of the people
17. What happened to the Ecuadorean lawyer’s brother?
He is killed eight days prior to the proceeding of the case. This situation is interpreted as a case of intimidations against Fajardo and the team.
18. What changed the political climate for the Chevron case in Ecuador?
The revelation of false sampling and manipulation of scientific findings coupled up with the international pressure from celebrities and other activists
19. What does Pablo Fajardo say is missing from the Vanity Fair article?
The background information of all the pollution that took place over the years.
20. Who does Chevron think should clean up the toxic mess in the Amazon?
The government of Ecuador
21. Who does the Chevron lawyer say was in charge of certifying the cleanup of the pits? The
Ecuadorean government, it offered written permission for that aspect
22. What is the typical age of cancer victims in San Carlos?
As low as 5 years, as high as 86 years of age among the older generations
23. What happened to the Cófan when Texaco came into their area?
They migrated to escape the devastating effect that the oil company was doing to them
24. What is the purpose of the “global assessment?”
To highlight the effect that environmental pollution causes on the whole world.
25. Is the court required to accept the validity of the independent expert’s report?
The court is required to accept the validity of any statement if it independent and accurate without any partisan interest.
26. Does the independent expert (Cabrera) want to let the plaintiff’s attorneys tell him where to take the samples?
No. the independence of such experts is questionable from the first time
27. How many hours does Maria’s daughter travel for cancer treatment?
She travelled 18 hours to get her treatment.
28. How does Pablo say Petro Ecuador will be brought to account?
He wants the company to clean up the rivers, compensate the victims, and foot the legal fees.
29. What does Trudy Styler and Sting do to help the indigenous people?
They used their celebrity status to highlight the plight of the people of the rural Ecuadorian town from the chevron disaster
30. How much does the independent expert recommend that Chevron pay in damages?
27 billion dollars
31. Is the court required to accept the independent expert’s recommendations?
Yes. The court is required to accept the recommendation based on the validity of the statement and the position it has in court
32. What happened to Chevron’s attorney in Ecuador?
She was paid 8 million for losing the 18 billion cases.