It can be expensive to go after a powerful oil company in court. Over two decades, plaintiffs' attorney Steven Donziger, a solo practitioner in New York, spent many millions of dollars to sue Chevron for oil pollution in the rain forest in Ecuador. He raised money from other plaintiffs' attorneys, wealthy individuals, and hedge funds that bought shares in any potential recovery. Chevron countersued Donziger in federal court in New York, accusing him of turning his lawsuit into a racketeering conspiracy. On March 4, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled in Chevron's favor. A lawyer representing Donziger responded defiantly to Chevron's "eye-popping" demand.