NY court denies Chevron request for immediate release of video in Ecuador oil dispute
By APTuesday, June 8, 2010
NY court blocks video release in Ecuador oil feud
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court has denied a request for the immediate release of raw footage of a documentary about a legal dispute between Chevron and Ecuadoreans.
Lawyers for Chevron asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday to allow the footage to be released right away. The court said it would continue its stay on the case until it hears arguments in early July.
Chevron is seeking outtakes from the film “Crude” to prove that courts in Ecuador are treating the company unfairly.
Filmmaker Joseph Berlinger maintains he has a First Amendment right as a journalist to keep the outtakes out of the litigation.
Ecuadoreans claim Texaco Inc. contaminated their land before it became a subsidiary of Chevron in 2001.
