The SCOTUS blog recently held a symposium on Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum. Kiobel is one of the most important cases that will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the new term that begins October 1, 2012. Kiobel was filed under the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”), and alleges that subsidiaries of the corporate defendant planned, conspired and facilitated extrajudicial … [Read more...]
International Litigation: Could BP Be Sued in a U.S. Court by Foreigners Harmed by the Gulf Oil Spill?
Being an international litigation attorney based out of Miami, I see a great deal of lawsuits filed by foreign plaintiffs here in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. By virtue of its close proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean, Miami is one of the busiest places in the country for foreigners to file lawsuits against multinational … [Read more...]
Alien Tort Claims Act: A Threat to U.S. Corporations Operating Overseas?
The rise in international litigation predicated on lawsuits filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act present significant risks for U.S. corporations that do business abroad. While the law was originally intended to protect US financial interests from piracy on the high seas, it was revived in the early 1980s to seek accountability for overseas human rights violations, such … [Read more...]