Chevron Shielded From $9 Billion Verdict as Court Rejects Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a ruling that protects Chevron Corp. from having to pay $8.6 billion in a decades-long battle over oil pollution in Ecuador, rebuffing an American lawyer who was found to have committed fraud in the South American country’s court.

The attorney, Steven Donziger, said a federal appeals court had exceeded its authority by letting Chevron use a U.S. racketeering law to block enforcement of the Ecuadorian award.

The appeals court said Donziger and his team of lawyers engaged in “a parade of corrupt actions,” culminating with a promise to pay a judge $500,000 to release ...