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Article

17 Apr 2013

Author:
Marcia Coyle, National Law Journal [USA]

Justices Limit Reach of Alien Tort Law [USA]

The U.S. Supreme Court…sharply limited the reach of a federal law used to hold corporations and others accountable for human rights abuses committed abroad. But human rights lawyers predicted additional litigation over how much of the federal courthouse door was left ajar. Writing for the Court in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said the presumption against the extraterritorial application of federal laws applies to the…Alien Tort Statute (ATS)…The immediate impact of the ruling is to shut down the Kiobel case in the federal courts…In an opinion concurring in the judgment, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that he would find jurisdiction under the law where: the alleged tort occurs on American soil; the defendant is an American national, or the defendant's conduct substantially and adversely affects an important American national interest.

Part of the following timelines

Marcia Coyle analyses US Supreme Court Kiobel v. Shell Alien Tort Statute decision

Shell lawsuit (re executions in Nigeria, Kiobel v Shell, filed in USA)