Lago Agrio oil field US attorney, Steven Donziger, had used "corrupt means," including payment of almost US$300,000 in bribes, to obtain the 2011 court verdict in Ecuador. The judge did not rule on the underlying issue of environmental damages. While the US ruling does not affect the decision of the court in Ecuador, it has blocked efforts to collect damages from Chevron in US courts. Donziger and the two Ecuadorian defendants appealed, and on August 8, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment against them in all respects. In September 2018, the District of Columbia
LGBT rights in Ecuador 29 June 2018. The judges ordered the Civil Registry to immediately begin registering same-sex marriages. However, the Civil Registry has announced its intention to appeal the decision. On 28 July 2018, the president of the Supreme Court, Alfredo Ruiz, said that a majority of judges are in favour of the legalisation of same-sex marriage, and confirmed that the Court will vote to legalise it. Article 68 of the Ecuador Constitution states: "La adopción corresponderá sólo a parejas de distinto sexo". An unofficial English language translation of this provision states: "Adoption shall only be permitted for different-gender couples." The Constitution is