NY judge lets Chevron's Ecuador claim move forward

NEW YORK — A New York judge has allowed energy company Chevron to move forward with its claims an $18 billion environmental judgment against it in Ecuador was unjustly obtained.

Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said Tuesday some of the actions involving courts in Ecuador "unquestionably were tainted" but it's too soon to say the judgment cannot be enforced in New York. He once tried to ban enforcement of the judgment worldwide, but a federal appeals court said he could only do so in New York state.

A spokeswoman for Ecuadoreans who sued Chevron over damage to their lands from oil exploration by a subsidiary calls it a victory that the judge didn't immediately rule in Chevron's favor.

San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron Corp. says through a spokesman the judge's findings are favorable.