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October 18, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide if Firms Can Be Held Liable For International Human Rights Violations 
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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide if companies can be held
liable in the United States for international human rights law
violations under a 1789 U.S. law called the Alien Tort Statute. On
Monday, the Justices said they would hear an appeal by a group of
Nigerians who sued the oil company Shell for aiding the Nigerian
government in human rights violations between 1992 and 1995. The
plaintiffs are the families of seven Nigerians who were executed by a
former military government for protesting Shell's exploration and
development.



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