New York lawyer Steven Donziger has been foiled in his bid to enforce a multibillion-dollar judgment against Chevron over allegations of environmental damage in Ecuador.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied Donziger's petition asking the justices to review a 2016 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. That decision barred enforcement of the $8.6 billion judgment, and Donziger argued that a federal court does not have the authority to attack a judgment before it has been paid out.

The judgment against Chevron concerned environmental damage in Ecuador allegedly caused by Texaco, which Chevron has acquired.