The motion was filed by Steve Donziger, the sole practitioner acting for Ecuadorian villagers seeking US$9.5b from Chevron over alleged pollution damage. Patton Boggs had worked closely with Mr Donziger, chasing Chevron for the money until this month it pulled out of the case. This was prompted by the decision of a federal US judge that the verdict in favour of the Ecuadorians had been obtained ‘by corrupt means’. However, Mr Donziger is now claiming that Patton Boggs should not be allowed to withdraw. 

Hotly contested

The motion says: ‘Patton Boggs has put its own interests above those of the people it was supposed to represent, switched sides in the middle of a hotly contested legal dispute, unceremoniously abandoned the clients without so much as notifying them, and publicly expressed regret at having taken on their representation in the first place.’ Neither law firm was available to respond to ABA. Source: ABA