Judge allows Burma Human Rights Suit Against Unocal to Proceed

September 14, 2004 (AP) - A human rights lawsuit brought against Unocal Corp. over alleged atrocities that occurred during a 1990s pipeline project in Myanmar can proceed before a jury, a Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

The lawsuit alleges that Myanmar soldiers forced male villagers to become slave laborers on the $1.2 billion Yadana pipeline project, in which El Segundo, Calif.-based Unocal was a minority partner. It also alleged that soldiers murdered a baby, raped women and girls and forced people out of their homes to make way for the project.

The case against the oil and gas giant is considered a key test among human rights activists seeking to hold multinational corporations responsible in U.S. courts for alleged atrocities committed abroad. The case is proceeding both in state and federal courts.

Superior Court Judge Victoria Gerrard Chaney in her ruling rejected Unocal's arguments that the case should be dismissed following her earlier ruling that focused on corporate liability issues.

"What it means is that Unocal is going to have to stand before a jury of 12 people and defend the despicable conduct which literally destroyed the lives of tens of thousands," said Dan Stormer, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Unocal has denied that human rights abuses occurred during the pipeline project in Myanmar, formerly Burma.

A telephone call Tuesday afternoon to Unocal lead trial counsel Daniel Petrocelli was not immediately returned.

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