Chevron Settles Ecuador Dispute for $15m

Chevron Corp said on Wednesday that Washington law firm Patton Boggs has agreed to pay $15 million to settle claims it tried to enforce a multibillion-dollar Ecuador judgment against the oil company it knew was fraudulently obtained.

Patton Boggs agreed to make the payment in exchange for Chevron dropping claims of fraud, deceit and malicious prosecution against the 300-lawyer firm.

"We are pleased that Patton Boggs is ending its association with the fraudulent and extortionate Ecuador litigation scheme." Hewitt Pate, Chevron general counsel, said in a statement.

In March, a federal judge said U.S. lawyer Steven Donziger had used "corrupt means" to obtain the earlier judgment against Chevron, and could not enforce it in the United States. Donziger is appealing.

(Reporting by Casey Sullivan; Editing by Ted Botha and Jeffrey Benkoe)