Chevron to face human rights suit

A U.S. judge ruled that a lawsuit claiming Chevron Corp. violated human rights in Nigeria should proceed, throwing out some charges against the U.S. oil company but leaving the centerpiece of the plaintiffs’ case intact.

A group of Nigerians filed suit against Chevron in May 1999, charging that Chevron Nigeria recruited Nigerian military and police personnel to fire weapons on Nigerians staging a protest at a Chevron oil platform in 1998, killing two.

The group also claims that the San Ramon, Calif.-based company was complicit in an attack on two villages in the Niger Delta, during which at least four villagers were killed.

Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California gave summary judgment Tuesday in favor of Chevron on some issues, throwing out, for instance, claims of property damage by the villagers.

But the judge allowed wrongful-death and other suits to proceed and reinstated some human rights claims against Chevron.

“A jury could conclude that Chevron Nigeria Ltd. had the power to hire, supervise and train the government security forces, and that Chevron Nigeria Ltd. did so, or failed to do so, negligently,” Illston said in one order.

She said a jury could also conclude that the company’s hiring and failure to train the security forces were a proximate cause of the alleged injuries.

Chevron has denied involvement in the incidents, has said it wasn’t liable for militia actions and has disputed parts of the Nigerians’ accounts.