The Weekly Report Cornerstone

   WEEK 51 Dec 9th to 15th 2002

   EXXON MOBIL CONTINUES TO DELAY PAYMENT OF PUNITIVE DAMAGES

   The oil company Exxon Mobil keeps delaying the payment after the Exxon Valdez accident 13 years ago, where major parts of the southern Alaska coast was and coastal areas were covered by crude oil. After yet another court decision in their disfavor they will appeal again. This time they were ordered by an Anchorage judge to pay 4 billion dollars in punitive damages to the countless victims of the disaster, one billion less than during the court decision in 1994.
   Close to 40000 tons of oil leaked from the ship when it sank March 23. 1989. It is estimated to have killed 250000 seabirds, 300 harbor seals, 2800 sea otters, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales, an unknown number of salmon and herring, and the direct and indirect damages to human life cannot really be measured. Humans are just as susceptible to poisons as every other animal species.
   - This is unfair, we'll have to appeal once again, Exxon Mobil Vice-President and General Counsel Charles Matthews had to say about the verdict.
   Dave Ousting, however, the leading counsel for about 32000 plaintiffs - including fishermen, communities, businesses and landowners - said he was quite pleased with the verdict.
   - No amount of money can ever compensate the victims for what they have gone through, both during the disaster, and its aftermath, with Exxon Mobil virtually harassing the plaintiffs, he said, - but the 4 billion dollars is an appropriate number, nothing less.
   Exxon Mobil says they shouldn't pay anything, but "no more than $290 millions".

   RELATED NEWS

   The oil tanker "Prestige" that sank outside Spain recently is expected to leak oil till 2006, creating a long-term environmental disaster in Spanish, Portuguese and French coastal areas. Currently it's leaking 150 tons each day, from what at this point are 14 holes in the ship.

  

  

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Entered 2002-12-09