i heard some of the testimony

(read by the news reporter) on npr
Exxon Makes Case on Valdez for High Court
by Nina Totenberg

All Things Considered, February 27, 2008 · The Supreme Court heard arguments from Exxon today that the amount the corporation has been ordered to pay as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska is unreasonable.
Lawyers representing fishermen, Native Alaskans and others say the punitive damages are necessary, because Exxon has not shown that it takes responsibility for the spill and it has fired only one person over the incident: the captain of the Exxon Valdez............... (if you click the npr link above, in addition to the rest of the article, there's an audio link)



i was shocked, astounded and very disturbed. it seemed the justices had NO problems with exxon making money hand over fish (yes, i meant that) while the effected citizens of alaska STILL suffered. seems like they didn't hold exxon responsible even though it sure as heck appeared they knew the captain had 'drinking' issues (for at least 3 years they knew). sure they fired the captain (ONLY), AND EVERYONE ELSE GOT A BIG FAT EFFING BONUS.



it's GOOD to be an american (BIG CORPORATION that is)

At the High Court, Damage Control

By Dana Milbank

Exxon Mobil, the giant oil corporation appearing before the Supreme Court yesterday, had earned a profit of nearly $40 billion in 2006, the largest ever reported by a U.S. company -- but that's not what bothered Roberts. What bothered the chief justice was that Exxon was being ordered to pay $2.5 billion -- roughly three weeks' worth of profits -- for destroying a long swath of the Alaska coastline in the largest oil spill in American history.
"So what can a corporation do to protect itself against punitive-damages awards such as this?" Roberts asked in court.
The lawyer arguing for the Alaska fishermen affected by the spill, Jeffrey Fisher, had an idea. "Well," he said, "it can hire fit and competent people."
The rare sound of laughter rippled through the august chamber. The chief justice did not look amused. ........