Exxon Makes Case on Valdez for High Court

By Nina Totenberg

Published February 27, 2008 at 4:00 PM EST

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.

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Nina Totenberg

Nina Totenberg is NPR's award-winning legal affairs correspondent. Her reports air regularly on NPR's critically acclaimed newsmagazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.

See stories by Nina Totenberg

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