Cristóbal Bonifaz
Architect of Lawsuit
Cristóbal Bonifaz initiated the original Aguinda lawsuit brought by a larger but overlapping group of Ecuadorian plaintiffs. In 1993, he enlisted the support of Joe Kohn, of Kohn, Swift & Graf PC, and Steven Donziger to file the first lawsuit against Texaco in a New York federal court. When it looked like that lawsuit would be dismissed and sent back to Ecuador, Bonifaz, whose father was President of Ecuador in the 1930s, and his team worked with the Ecuador legislature to enact a new law that would allow individuals the right to sue for environmental remediation of government-owned land. In 1999, a year after Texaco completed its remediation and was granted a full release by the government, the law was passed. Today, the Lago Agrio plaintiffs and their attorneys are trying to apply the law retroactively, which is not permitted under Ecuador law.
- Despite no longer officially representing the Lago Agrio plaintiffs, stands to profit from any financial settlement or judgment against Chevron.
- Sued Chevron in 2006 in a US federal court for the Northern District of California alleging his new clients developed cancer as a result of Texaco’s operations.
- Was sanctioned and fined $45,000 in 2007 when the federal judge dismissed the cancer case after some of the plaintiffs admitted that they had never been diagnosed with cancer. The US Court also found that Bonifaz had not even obtained authority to file the lawsuit from all the plaintiffs.
- Agreed “in legal documents” not to pursue the Government of Ecuador or Petroecuador for their portion of any liability for possible contamination in the Amazon.
According to news sources, Bonifaz gave written assurances to the Ecuadorian Attorney General’s office that his clients would not sue Petroecuador over environmental damage in the Amazon if government officials threw their clout behind the plaintiffs.
- In a 1997 interview appearing in the Ecuadorian newspaper, Hoy, Bonifaz said, “There is no reason for the Government to worry because the plaintiffs and their lawyers have undertaken in legal documents to refrain from suing the Government if it is ultimately held to be jointly liable with Texaco for the environmental damage caused.”
- A week later, Bonifaz told the Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio, “I delivered notarized documents to the Attorney General confirming the indigenous people’s commitment to refrain from suing the Government.”
- Bonifaz represented the Government of Ecuador and Petroecuador in a related US Federal Court action against Chevron in 2004.

Supporting Materials
- View the original New York Aguinda complaint
- Read Judge Alsup’s sanction of Bonifaz
- Read about Bonifaz’s fine in Fortune
- Read newspaper articles in which Bonifaz confirms he made an agreement to spare Petroecuador from the litigation and ensures government support: