As Jazz Shaw of Hot Air says:

Harvard University may be sending a none too subtle message regarding their feelings about capitalism and successful businesses in America.

Paul M. Barrett of Bloomberg reported.

Attorney Deemed a ‘Racketeer’ Takes His Case to Harvard Law

What if hedge fund mogul Steven Cohen accepted an invitation from Wharton to lecture about the dos and don’ts of stock trading? Cohen’s SAC Capital Advisors pleaded guilty last November to firm-wide securities fraud and agreed to pay $1.8 billion. Students could cross-examine him on his understanding of insider trading rules and how he’s handling the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s pending civil lawsuit.

For obvious reasons, many of them related to his Fifth Amendment rights, Cohen isn’t likely to turn up at any public forum to discuss his dicey legal situation. Too bad. Steven Donziger, by contrast, is actually planning to take his case to the Ivy League Court of Appeal, giving a talk at Harvard Law School next month.

Donziger, you’ll recall, is the flamboyant New York environmental attorney found liable in U.S. district court on March 4 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Judge Lewis Kaplan concluded that Donziger had orchestrated a multiyear scheme of bribery and coercion aimed at shaking down Chevron (CVX). Donziger’s wrongdoing culminated in a 2011 multibillion-dollar pollution judgment against the U.S. oil company in Ecuador, according to Kaplan.

On April 9, Donziger is scheduled to deliver a talk at Harvard Law titled “The Future of Corporate Impact Litigation After the Chevron Case.” The session will be sponsored by the Human Rights @ Harvard Law project. Curious, I called HLS spokeswoman Michelle Deakin. She asked around and came back to tell me: “From what I’ve learned so far, the event is intended to explore the complexities of the case and subject Donziger to hard questions.”

Fair enough. With the right spirit of inquiry and skepticism, it could be a lively session, as the case is one of the most important human-rights and environmental clashes in memory—if not for the reasons that Donziger (Harvard Law Class of 1991) maintains. Based on the description of his appearance, though, I wonder whether he will actually encounter much in the way of a challenge.