Cariajano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., s. 08-56187
| Decision Date | 06 December 2010 |
| Docket Number | Nos. 08-56187,Nos. 08-56270,s. 08-56187,s. 08-56270 |
| Citation | 626 F.3d 1137 |
| Parties | Tomas Maynas CARIAJANO; Roxana Garcia Dahua, a minor, by her guardian Rosario Dahua Hualinga; Rosario Dahua Hualinga, personally and on behalf of her minor child Roxana Garcia Dahua; Nilda Garcia Sandi, a minor, by her guardian Rosalbina Hualinga Sandi; Rosalbina linga Sandi; Rosalbina Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of her minor child Nilda Garcia Sandi; Elena Maynas Mozambite, a minor, by her guardian Gerardo Maynas Hualinga; Gerardo Maynas Hualinga, personally and on behalf of his minor child Elena Maynas Mozambite; Alan Cariajano Sandi, a minor, by his guardian Pedro Sandi; Pedro Sandi Washington, personally and on behalf of his minor child Alan Cariajano Sandi; Elisa Hualinga Maynas, a minor, by her guardians Daniel Hualinga Sandi and Andrea Maynas Cariajano; Daniel Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of his minor child Elisa Hualinga Maynas; Andrea Maynas Cariajano, personally and on behalf of her minor child Elisa Hualinga Maynas; Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga, a minor, by his guardians Roman Hualinga Sandi and Rosa Hualinga; Roman Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of his minor child Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga; Rosa Hualinga, personally and on behalf of her minor child Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga; Rodolfo Maynas Suarez, a minor, by his guardians Horacio Maynas Cariajano and Delmencia Suarez Diaz; Horacio Maynas Cariajano, personally and on behalf of his minor child Rodolfo Maynas Suarez; Delmencia Suarez Diaz, personally and on behalf of her minor child Rodolfo Maynas Suarez; Katia Hualinga Salas, a minor, by her guardians Alejandro Hualinga Chuje and Linda Salas Pisongo; Alejandro Hualinga Chuje, personally and on behalf of his minor child Katia Hualinga Salas; Linda Salas Pisongo, personally and on behalf of her minor child Katia Hualinga Salas; Francisco Panaigo Paima, a minor, by his guardians Milton Panaigo Diaz and Anita Paima Cariajano; Milton Panaigo Diaz, personally and on behalf of his minor child Francisco Panaigo Paima; Anita Paima Cariajano, personally and on behalf of her minor child Francisco Panaigo Paima; Adolfina Garcia Sandi, personally and on behalf of her deceased minor child Olivio Salas Garcia; Amazon Watch, Inc., a Montana corporation, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation; Occidental Peruana, Inc., a California Corporation, Defendants-Appellees. Tomas Maynas Cariajano; Roxana Garcia Dahua, a minor, by her guardian Rosario Dahua Hualinga; Rosario Dahua Hualinga, personally and on behalf of her minor child Roxana Garcia Dahua; Nilda Garcia Sandi, a minor, by her guardian Rosalbina Hualinga Sandi; Rosalbina Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of her minor child Nilda Garcia Sandi; Elena Maynas Mozambite, a minor, by her guardian Gerardo Maynas Hualinga; Gerardo Maynas Hualinga, personally and on behalf of his minor child Elena Maynas Mozambite; Alan Cariajano Sandi, a minor, by his guardian Pedro Sandi; Pedro Sandi Washington, personally and on behalf of his minor child Alan Cariajano Sandi; Elisa Hualinga Maynas, a minor, by her guardians Daniel Hualinga Sandi and Andrea Maynas Cariajano; Daniel Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of his minor child Elisa Hualinga Maynas; Andrea Maynas Cariajano, personally and on behalf of her minor child Elisa Hualinga Maynas; Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga, a minor, by his guardians Roman Hualinga Sandi and Rosa Hualinga; Roman Hualinga Sandi, personally and on behalf of his minor child Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga; Rosa Hualinga, personally and on behalf of her minor child Cerilo Hualinga Hualinga; Rodolfo Maynas Suarez, a minor, by his guardians Horacio Maynas Cariajano and Delmencia Suarez Diaz; Horacio Maynas Cariajano, personally and on behalf of his minor child Rodolfo Maynas Suarez; Delmencia Suarez Diaz, personally and on behalf of her minor child Rodolfo Maynas Suarez; Katia Hualinga Salas, a minor, by her guardians Alejandro Hualinga Chuje and Linda Salas Pisongo; Alejandro Hualinga Chuje, personally and on behalf of his minor child Katia Hualinga Salas; Linda Salas Pisongo, personally and on behalf of her minor child Katia Hualinga Salas; Francisco Panaigo Paima, a minor, by his guardians Milton Panaigo Diaz and Anita Paima Cariajano; Milton Panaigo Diaz, personally and on behalf of his minor child Francisco Panaigo Paima; Anita Paima Cariajano, personally and on behalf of her minor child Francisco Panaigo Paima; Adolfina Garcia Sandi, personally and on behalf of her deceased minor child Olivio Salas Garcia; Amazon Watch, Inc., a Montana corporation, Plaintiffs-Appellees v. Occidental Petroleum Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Occidental Peruana, Inc., a California Corporation, Defendants-Appellants. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit |
Marco Simons (argued), Richard Herz, Earthrights International, Washington, D.C.; Paul Hoffman, Benjamin Schonbrun, Michael D. Seplow, Schonbrun DesimoneSeplow Harris & Hoffman LLP, Venice, CA; Natalie L. Bridgeman, Law Offices of Natalie L. Bridgeman, San Francisco, CA, for the plaintiffs-appellants.
Daniel P. Collins (argued), Manuel F. Cachán, Gabriel P. Sanchez, Munger, Tolles & Olson L.L.P., Ernest J. Getto, Michael G. Romey, Kirk A. Wilkinson, Latham & Watkins, L.L.P., Los Angeles, CA, for the defendants-appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Philip S. Gutierrez, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. 2:07-cv-05068-PSG-PJW.
Before: MARY M. SCHROEDER, PAMELA ANN RYMER, and KIM McLANE WARDLAW, Circuit Judges.
Opinion by Judge WARDLAW; Partial Concurrence and Partial Dissent by Judge RYMER.
These cross-appeals arise from the petroleum and oil exploration operations conducted by defendant Occidental Peruana ("OxyPeru"), an indirect subsidiary of defendant Occidental Petroleum Corporation (collectively "Occidental"), along the Rio Corrientes in the northern region of Peru. Plaintiffs, 25 members of the Achuar indigenous group dependent for their existence upon the rainforest lands and waterways along the river, and Amazon Watch, a California corporation, sued Occidental in Los Angeles County Superior Court for environmental contamination and release of hazardous waste. Although Occidental's headquarters is located in Los Angeles County, Occidental removed the suit to federal district court where it successfully moved for dismissal on the ground that Peru is a more convenient forum. Plaintiffs timely appeal the dismissal of their suit. Occidental cross-appeals from the district court's determination that its Rule 12 motion to dismiss Amazon Watch for lack of standing is moot.
Because Occidental failed to meet its burden of demonstrating that Peru is a more convenient forum, and the district court gave insufficient weight to the strong presumption in favor of a domestic plaintiff's choice of forum, the district court abused its discretion by dismissing the lawsuit without imposing mitigating conditions for the dismissal.
We accept as true the facts alleged in the Achuar Plaintiffs' and Amazon Watch's ("Plaintiffs") First Amended Complaint ("FAC"). See Vivendi SA v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., 586 F.3d 689, 691 n. 3 (9th Cir.2009); Aguas Lenders Recovery Group v. Suez, S.A., 585 F.3d 696, 697 (2d Cir.2009) ().
Occidental is among the largest oil and gas companies in the United States. Its Peruvian operations began in the early 1970s with the development of a pair of lots near the Ecuadorean border known as "Block 1-AB." Its subsidiary, OxyPeru, built Block 1-AB into a thriving extraction, processing, and distribution site, providing 26 percent of Peru's total historical oil production from 1972 to 2000, at which point Occidental sold its stake in Block 1-AB to the Argentine oil company Pluspetrol. The Peruvian government granted Occidental its first concession in the region in 1971; oil was found the next year. The company built dozens of wells, a 530-kilometer network of pipelines, refineries, and separation batteries for processingcrude oil, as well as roads, heliports and camps to support the operation at Block 1-AB.
The Achuar are indigenous people who have long resided along the rivers of the northern Peruvian rainforest. Block 1-AB encompasses significant portions of the Corrientes and Macusari rivers, home to several Achuar communities. The inhabitants use the rivers and their tributaries for drinking, fishing, and bathing. The region is remote, with access typically limited to small planes, helicopters, small boats, and canoes.
The complaint alleges that, during its thirty years in the Achuar territories, Occidental knowingly utilized out-of-date methods for separating crude oil that contravened United States and Peruvian law, resulting in the discharge of millions of gallons of toxic oil byproducts into the area's waterways. Achuar children and adults came into frequent contact with the contaminants by using polluted rivers and tributaries for drinking, washing and fishing. Tests have shown potentially dangerous levels of lead and cadmium in the blood of a significant number of affected individuals. Achuar Plaintiffs have reported gastrointestinal problems, kidney trouble, skin rashes, and aches and pains that they attribute to the pollution.
Plaintiffs further allege that the pollution led to decreasing yields of edible fish, and that the animals hunted by the Achuar have been turning up dead or diseased after drinking river water. The pollution has also allegedly harmed agricultural productivity and land values. Plaintiffs contend that Occidental was aware of the dangers posed by the contamination but failed to warn residents.
The complaint also details the Block 1-AB-related activities...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
We Are America v. Maricopa Cnty. Bd. of Supervisors
...vehicle for this motion, however. “Article III standing is a species of subject matter jurisdiction.” Cariajano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 626 F.3d 1137, 1143 (9th Cir.2010) (citation omitted). Thus, “[b]ecause standing ... pertain [s] to federal court's subject matter jurisdiction,” th......
-
Carijano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp..
...Dissent by Judge RYMER.ORDER The petition for panel rehearing is granted. The opinion filed December 6, 2010, and reported at 626 F.3d 1137 (9th Cir.2010), is hereby withdrawn. It may not be cited as precedent by or to this court or any district court of the Ninth Circuit. The clerk shall f......
-
In re Air Crash at Madrid, Spain, on August 20, 2008
...non conveniens authorizes a district court to dismiss an action even though the court has jurisdiction. Cariajano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 626 F.3d 1137, 1144 (9th Cir.2010). Circuit law teaches that, because dismissal is a drastic step, “forum non conveniens [is] ‘an exceptional tool......
-
Gutierrez v. Advanced Med. Optics Inc.
...AND JURISDICTION For purposes of this appeal, we accept as true the facts alleged in the complaint. See Cariajano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 626 F.3d 1137, 1142 (9th Cir.2010) (citing Vivendi SA v. T–Mobile USA, Inc., 586 F.3d 689, 691 n. 3 (9th Cir.2009)). Plaintiffs are elderly reside......
-
Global Law and the Environment
...Corp., 643 F.3d 1216, 1223 (9th Cir. 2011). The case was initially decided in December 2010, Carijano v. Occidental Petroleum Corp. , 626 F.3d 1137 (9th Cir. 2010), but the Ninth Circuit later withdrew this opinion and issued a new opinion in June of 226. Carijano v. Occidental Petroleum Co......