Ecuadorean plaintiffs have launched a new effort to recoup the $18 billion in damages that the oil giant Chevron has refused to pay for polluting Ecuador’s rainforest since the 1970s. Amazonian residents won the judgment last year after a long-running case seeking damages for Chevron’s dumping of toxic oil waste. Chevron has helped avoid the fine by dissolving its assets inside Ecuador. On Thursday, the plaintiffs filed suit against Chevron holdings in Brazil in a bid to target Chevron worldwide. A similar lawsuit was filed in Canada last month. Juan Pablo Sáenz, a lawyer in the case, said Chevron’s actions had left the plaintiffs with no choice but to pursue the company around the globe.

Juan Pablo Sáenz: “Because Chevron is failing to comply with the sentences in Ecuador, we are obligated to look for a series of countries where they have interests and directly attack those interests to be able to collect the amount of money ordered to repair the Ecuadorean Amazon.”