The Washington Post, "Judge Says Exxon Owes $6.75 Billion For Valdez Appeal Promised as Suit Over '89 Spill Drags On"

          A federal judge in Alaska yesterday ordered Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay $6.75 billion to 32,000 fisherman, landowners and others affected by the 11 million gallons of oil that poured into Prince William Sound after the grounding of the Exxon Valdez nearly 15 years ago. Exxon Mobil immediately vowed to appeal, and the case seems destined for further litigation.
          Yesterday's ruling stems from the torrent of lawsuits filed after the spill against Exxon by fishermen, Alaska Natives, landowners, small businessmen and municipalities in south-central Alaska. Those suits led to a 1994 decision by an Anchorage jury that awarded a consolidated set of plaintiffs $5 billion in punitive damages. Since then, the case has been kicked back and forth between federal judge H. Russel Holland's court in Alaska and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California, which has twice vacated Holland's decisions.
          The grounding of the Exxon Valdez on March 24, 1989, set off the largest oil spill in history, devastating area ecosystems and the local fishing industry. The spill took three years to clean up.

Note: Lieff Cabraser also serves as counsel for the plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez litigation.