California appeals court says jury correctly absolved Chevron in fatal 1998 Nigeria protest

Appeals court backs Chevron in Nigeria dispute

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court in San Francisco has upheld a jury verdict clearing the Chevron Corp. of alleged human rights abuses during a violent 1998 protest on a company oil platform in Nigeria.

The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the lower court judge conducted the 2008 trial that resulted in the verdict without error and instructed jurors properly.

Human rights activists had accused the Nigerian military of attacking protesters on orders from the oil company. The demonstration was over Chevron’s alleged pollution of local fishing grounds and farms in the country’s oil-rich Delta region.

Two demonstrators occupying the oil platform were killed.

The company denied involvement.