Judge orders Unocal to trial

LOS ANGELES: A Superior Court judge has ordered the Unocal Corp. to stand trial for alleged human rights abuses related to a pipeline project in Myanmar.

In a ruling made public Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney denied a Unocal motion for summary judgment of lawsuits brought on behalf of citizens of and refugees from Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma.

In a separate ruling made Friday and announced Tuesday, Chaney also denied the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, saying they could not show Unocal was solely responsible for the alleged human rights violations.

A jury trial was set for Sept. 26 in Los Angeles, where Unocal is based.

"For the first time in any place, we are holding an American corporation liable for human rights abuses committed abroad," said Dan Stormer, who is representing the plaintiffs. -- AP