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Bus Law extra cedit

The most recent event in relation to the Exxon Valdez case is the recent decision by the Supreme Court to reduce the amount of punitive damages that Exxon Mobil Corp must pay . The current damages that Exxon Mobil owes are now in the one tenth of the original value of the damages that were awarded (US 10 million . The damages were awarded on the finding of the court that the company was responsible for hiring a known alcoholic to take command of the oil tanker . The reason for this as the Justices ruled is

because they found the actions of Exxon as worse than just plain negligence but not quite severe as to be characterized as malicious

The relevance of this case has to do with many aspects . The first and most obvious aspect is the long term environmental damage that it has caused on the west coast . Termed as the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States , there ecological damage that was caused by the oil spill still has not been repaired . Many species of wildlife were completely decimated by the oil spill . This is on top of the loss of revenue and livelihood that many of the fishermen and west coast area people lost due to the massive oil spill . To fine Exxon Mobil Corp but a fraction of the original amount of damages would set a dangerous precedent for future offenders environmental damage can be paid off

Another intriguing aspect of this case comes in the light of rising oil prices . Given that Exxon Mobil Corp earned over US 40 billion last year , the damages that were awarded would not even take a chunk off their profits . While the damage that was caused is permanent , the reparations paid by Exxon Mobil are tantamount to loose change for the oil giant . Oil companies are making so much profit during these times and are basically able to escape all sorts of liabilities because of that . This in itself is a dangerous precedent because it sends the signal that justice applies to all , except to those who are extremely wealthy or control essential commodities

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