A Brief History of the Exxon Valdez Disaster
Bettmann / Corbis
Naturally, A Trial
Ship captain Joe Hazelwood was acquitted of felony charges by an Alaska jury despite evidence of alcohol in his bloodstream at the time of the accident. In a civil case, Exxon was hit with a $5 billion civil judgment for its role in the accident, later reduced to just $500 million by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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