Chevron Corp. (CVX) moved Monday to avoid a jury trial in its lawsuit against a lawyer it accuses of fraud in a high-stakes legal battle over pollution in Ecuador's jungles.
The oil giant said that if a federal judge in New York tried the case, the company would drop its claims for monetary damages against Steven Donziger, a lawyer who won a $19 billion environmental judgment in Ecuador against Chevron in 2011.
Chevron is suing Mr. Donziger and other representatives of the Ecuadorean plaintiffs in federal district court in New York for racketeering, arguing they used fraudulent tactics to obtain the verdict in Ecuador.
In a court filing Monday, Chevron said that instead of monetary damages, it would only seek "equitable relief." In the past, the company said such relief might include blocking Mr. Donziger and his cohorts from attempting to collect the Ecuadorean judgment in countries where the company operates, as they have already moved to do in Canada, Brazil and Argentina.
The company said it reserved its rights to recoup legal fees and court costs from Mr. Donziger, should the court award them.
"Chevron's RICO [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] action has always been about exposing the fact that the judgment against Chevron in Ecuador was procured through fraud and stopping the perpetrators from profiting from it," said Morgan Crinklaw, a Chevron spokesman.
Mr. Donziger and representatives of the Ecuadoreans deny Chevron's claims and accuse the company of improper conduct in the 20-year-old legal battle.
On Monday, Mr. Donziger said he would oppose Chevron's request for a nonjury trial.
"I think this decision clearly proves that Chevron does not believe in the validity of its own case," he said.