Exxon Mobil Resolves Lengthy Indonesian Abuse Lawsuit

Exxon Mobil, the oil giant, has reached a settlement with Indonesian villagers who filed a lawsuit against the company over alleged human rights abuses committed by contracted soldiers employed to protect Exxon Mobil’s operations in Aceh province.

Exxon Mobil disclosed the settlement in a court filing on Monday, preceding a highly anticipated trial scheduled to commence on May 24.

The villagers initiated legal action in a U.S. court in 2001, accusing the soldiers of perpetrating atrocities such as sexual assault, torture, and murder in or near Exxon Mobil’s extensive natural gas facilities in the Arun field.

Specific terms of the agreement remain undisclosed.

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Lead counsel for the 11 plaintiffs, Agnieszka Fryszman, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We are delighted that, just before the trial, we were able to achieve a measure of justice for them and their families.”

Fryszman further explained, “We represented women and children who witnessed their fathers being shot to death, a pregnant woman who was forced to repeatedly jump up and down before being sexually assaulted, and men who were detained, subjected to electric shocks, burned, and had their backs marked with graffiti using a knife.”

Exxon Mobil clarified that the lawsuit did not include allegations of direct harm caused by their employees to the villagers. The settlement, according to the company, offers closure for all parties involved.

An Exxon Mobil spokesperson remarked, “ExxonMobil condemns human rights violations in any form, including the actions alleged in this case involving the Indonesian military. We extend our deepest sympathies to the affected families and individuals.”

The plaintiffs aimed to hold Exxon Mobil accountable for the alleged abuses that occurred during a period of civil unrest in Indonesia. They asserted that Exxon Mobil had authority over the soldiers and provided them with resources and support that facilitated the reported abuses.

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Over the years, both the company and the villagers actively engaged in numerous jurisdictional battles, actively contesting various procedural matters, including the pursuit of the lawsuit in U.S. courts.

Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, D.C., permitted the case to proceed, rejecting Exxon Mobil’s request for a pre-trial ruling in their favor.

In assessing witness testimonies and internal documents, the judge deemed Exxon’s arguments to keep the case out of court as “wholly without merit” and disagreed with the company’s interpretation of the evidence.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys conducted depositions of witnesses in recent years and interviewed some witnesses remotely via Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Eyewitnesses and anonymous plaintiffs mentioned in public court documents detailed instances where security personnel fatally shot individuals, including a rice paddy worker and a traveling fish merchant who had stopped to sell their goods at the facility. Witnesses also described guards abusing, intimidating, and sexually assaulting villagers.