The Supreme Court did not give any explanation for its decision, which rejected Chevron’s appeal of a lower court ruling. The lower court in January had thrown out an injunction blocking enforcement of the Ecuadorean judgment.
The decision is the latest in a nearly two-decade conflict between the No. 2 U.S. oil company and residents of Ecuador’s Lago Agrio region over claims that Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area from 1964 to 1992.
The battle has spawned litigation in numerous courts both inside and outside the United States.