A Presentation by Paul Barrett

The Moritz College of Law welcomes Paul M. Barrett, assistant managing editor and senior writer at Bloomberg Businessweek and author of the New York Times bestseller “Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun,” “American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion,” and “The Good Black:  A True Story of Race in America,” will discuss his forthcoming book, “Law of the Jungle,” on October 6th, from 12:10 – 2 p.m. in Saxbe Auditorium.

“Law of the Jungle” tells the story of Steven Donziger, a self-styled social activist and Harvard educated lawyer, who signed on to a budding class action lawsuit against multinational Texaco (which later merged with Chevron to become the third-largest corporation in America). The suit sought reparations for Ecuadorian peasants and tribes people whose lives were affected by decades of oil production near their villages and fields.

During twenty years of legal hostilities in federal courts in Manhattan and remote provincial tribunals in the Ecuadorian jungle, Donziger and Chevron’s lawyers followed fierce no-holds-barred rules. In the end, Donziger won a $19 billion judgment against Chevron — the biggest environmental damages award in history — but it wasn’t without consequence. Chevron refused to surrender or compromise. Instead the company targeted Donziger personally, and the counter-attack revealed damning evidence of his politicking and manipulation of evidence. Suddenly the verdict, and decades of Donziger’s single-minded pursuit of the case, began to unravel.

Lunches will be available. Registration is required at moritzlaw.osu.edu/registrations/event/paul-m-barrett/

This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Energy and Environment, The Ohio State University Environmental Policy Initiative, the School of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Poverty, Inequality and Changing Environments Working Group from the Center for Latin American Studies.