Media Alliance is proud to have joined with Amazon Watch, 350.org, Food and Water Watch, Global Exchange, Amnesty International, Center for Environmental Health, CT Citizen Action, Friends of the Earth, Global Inititative, Greenaction, International Accountablity Project, Justice in Nigeria Now, Marin Interfaith Taskforce on the Americas, Pachamama, RAN, Rights Action and the Sunflower Alliance, in an important 1st Amendment challenge after Chevron filed racketeering charges against the attorneys and advocacy groups working with Ecuadorians on oil excavation in the Amazon.
Here is the introductory comments in the amici brief, filed by Gross Belsky and Alonzo.
“Amici” are organizations dedicated to advancing environmental protection, human rights, corporate accountability, and economic justice.1 Amici regularly engage in First Amendment-protected activities similar to those that the district court found to be predicate acts under RICO. Amici bring, participate in, and support strategic litigation intended to help achieve important societal goals In conjunction with such litigation they seek to educate the public and to influence public opinion and government and corporate behavior through public relations campaigns, websites and blogs, press releases about ongoing litigation, corporate shareholder resolutions, public demonstrations, and letter-writing campaigns to government or corporate officials. If the district court’s finding of a RICO violation based on just such activities is upheld, Amici’s exercise of their First Amendment rights of free speech, association, and petitioning government will be severely chilled by the very real possibility that they will have to mount costly defenses to retaliatory litigtion brought by deep-pocketed corporate defendants”.
Here is Media Alliance’s statement of interest:
“Media Alliance is an Oakland-based nonprofit resource and advocacy center for media workers, nonprofit organizations, and social justice activists, in order to ensure excellence, ethics, diversity, and accountability in all aspects of the media in the interests of peace, justice, and social responsibility. Media Alliance and its members regularly participate in advocacy-based activities similar to those characterized by the district court in this case as creating RICO liability. Media Alliance also works with numerous nonprofit organizations and community and citizen groups on communication strategies for campaigns on many issues including income inequality, environmental justice, criminal rehabilitation, surveillance and immigrant rights, including providing support for impact litigation. Media Alliance is deeply concerned that the district court’s opinion will chill the first amendment activities by Media Alliance and other social impact organizations, due to the fear that these organizations may be sued by the very corporations that it is analyzing and communicating about”
The entire amicus brief may be found below.
For more on the case, go to the Amazon Watch website.