12 Years After Filing, Civil Jury Finds Chevron Liable For $722 Million For Decades Of Damage To Louisiana Coastline

[hatrack]

Chevron has been ordered to pay more than $744m in damages for destroying parts of south-east Louisiana’s coastal wetlands over the years. The ruling, which came in the form of a civil jury verdict on Friday, marks the conclusion of the first trial among 42 lawsuits filed about 12 years earlier which alleged that the company’s oil and gas projects have led to the degradation of the region’s wetlands. Among other things, the wetlands play a key role in offering the area a measure of protection from hurricanes.

The jury found that the oil brand Texaco, which is owned by Chevron, violated state regulations surrounding coastal resources by contributing to the disappearing coastline through dredging canals, drilling wells and dumping massive amounts of wastewater into the marsh.

EDIT

The canals used to create transportation routes for oil and gas rigs have over the years impeded natural water flow across the wetland ecosystems, according to the Lowlander Center. Additionally, the canals create straight avenues which allow surging ocean waters to bypass the bayous and instead head directly inland during severe weather events. According to a 1978 Louisiana management law, sites used by oil companies must “be cleared, revegetated, detoxified, and otherwise restored as near as practicable to their original condition” after the companies’ projects end, the Associated Press reports.

The south-eastern Louisiana community of Plaquemines parish filed the lawsuit against Chevron in 2013, asking for $2.6bn in damages at the time. The parish has an additional 20 pending cases against other oil companies. The jury awarded various compensations to Plaquemines on Friday, including $575m for land loss, $161m for contamination – as well as $8.6 million for abandoned equipment.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/chevron-louisiana-wetlands-damages-lawsuit

[RainCaster]

1. Quite sadly, some conservative judge will nullify this award

We all know it's coming. Grrrr.

[Biophilic]

2. That is so pathetic as to be laughable.

Justice moving way too slowly with a sadly small punishment. It will take them another 12 years of negotiation to get any of that money. No, our system really only works for the wealthy and corporations.

[hatrack]

3. Like with the Exxon Valdez . . .

The company lawyered up and filed and refiled and appealed and appealed, and 25 years after the accident, hadn't paid the final claims. Most of the plaintiffs had died by that time.

https://archive.thinkprogress.org/25-years-after-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-company-still-hasnt-paid-for-long-term-environmental-damages-b5a325b28ee1/