Courts

Federal Judge Uses Six-Month Prison Sentence As ‘Proverbial Two-By-Four Between The Eyes’ For Disbarred Attorney

The judge does not seem pleased.

By Kathryn Rubino on October 06, 2021 12:42 pm

The infamous plaintiffs lawyer, Steven Donziger, has been read for filth by a federal judge.

The onetime environmental lawyer sued Chevron in Ecuador in 2011 over water and soil contamination, and won a $9.5 billion judgment. But that number was far from the resounding victory he may have hoped. Chevron sued in Manhattan district court saying the judgment was the result of pressure on the presiding judge.

As reported by Reuters:

In 2014, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan refused to enforce the $9.5 billion judgment, saying it had been secured through bribery, fraud and extortion.

Chevron later sought to recoup money Donziger personally reaped in the Ecuadorian case, and Kaplan ordered Donziger to turn over electronic devices to the company’s forensic experts.

He refused that discovery request, and Judge Kaplan charged him with criminal contempt. Donzigner was later disbarred as well.

In July, S.D.N.Y. Judge Loretta Preska found Donziger guilty of criminal contempt. Last week, she sentenced Donziger on those contempt charges, giving the Harvard Law graduate six months of prison time, saying he “willfully” disobeyed court orders. She went on:

“[Donziger] has spent the last seven-plus years thumbing his nose at the U.S. judicial system. It seems that only the proverbial two-by-four between the eyes will instill in him any respect for the law.”

Predictably, Donziger’s attorney, Martin Garbus, railed against the sentence, calling it “outrageous.” Donziger has said he plans to appeal. He is currently under house confinement, where, if the appeal proceeds quickly, he’ll remain during the process. Judge Preska denied bail pending the appeal.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).