On Friday 27 April, ECCJ, CORE and 45 other civil society organisations from all over the world called on the UK Supreme Court to allow 40,000 people from two Nigerian fishing communities to appeal against a ruling that oil giant Shell cannot be held responsible for pipeline spills that have devastated the environment in the Niger Delta. The letter sent to the members of the Supreme Court on Friday refers to the decision adopted by the UK Court of Appeal last February concerning the case Okpabi vs Royal Dutch Shell. The ruling stated that the Anglo-Dutch parent company Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) was not responsible for pollution caused by its Nigerian subsidiary during decades of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta. If this ruling is allowed to stand, thousands in the Niger Delta will be left without remedy and an important route for justice for those harmed by the overseas operations of UK-based multinationals would be severely restricted. The letter to the Supreme Court urges the Court justices to grant the application for permission to appeal and hear the case...
Part of the following timelines
NGOs urge UK Supreme Court to allow Nigerian communities to appeal decision that barred them from suing Shell in the UK over oil spill impacts
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UK: Supreme Court defers decision on application for permission to appeal in lawsuit brought by Nigerian communities against Shell over oil spill impacts
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Court of Appeal Decision Threatens to Close Route to Justice
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UK Supreme Court should allow 40.000 Nigerian villagers appeal a ruling that leaves victims of Shell's oil spills without remedy, civil society demands
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Nigerian fishermen fight for permission to appeal oil pollution ruling
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Rule 15 submission to the Supreme Court of the UK by CORE Coalition & Others on behalf of Okpabi et al. v Royal Dutch Shell
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Shell lawsuit (re oil spills & Ogale & Bille communities in Nigeria - Okpabi v Shell)
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UK Court of Appeal hears Niger Delta Bille and Ogale communities oil spill case against Shell
"The Court of Appeal [in the UK] is hearing the case of two rural Nigerian communities who allege the oil giant Shell caused devastating pollution to their land. The case will have major implications for the viability of similar environmental claims in future."
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High Court greenlights human rights claims against Shell in the UK over Niger Delta oil pollution
Communities affected by the oil pollution in the Niger Delta can bring human rights claims against Shell in the UK for alleged violations of their right to a clean environment, the High Court ruled.
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Nigerian villagers can bring human rights claims against Shell over oil pollution in the Niger Delta in the UK, High Court rules
The High Court in the UK has ruled that Nigerian fishermen and farmers affected by the oil spill in Niger Delta can pursue claims against Shell for the breach of their right to a clean environment under Nigeria's constitutional law.
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UK: High Court to hold multi-day hearing on Shell's legal liability in ongoing Niger Delta pollution case
"A critical point in the legal cases brought by two Niger Delta communities, Ogale and Bille, and over 13,000 individual residents, against oil giant Shell will take place at a five-day hearing in the High Court in London from Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July 2023."
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Nigeria: Lawyers accuse Shell of seeking to hide from scrutiny over pollution in Niger Delta
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Nigerians accuse Shell of delay in oil spill London lawsuits
In a UK lawsuit over pollution of the Niger Delta allegedly caused by Shell, lawyers for the communities claiming damages accuse Shell of artifically prolonging the trial, aiming to out-resource the claimants. Shell denies these allegations as well as liability.
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Over 13,000 residents from the Ogale and Bille communities in Nigeria file claims against Shell for devastating oil spills
"The legal case against Shell on behalf of the Bille and Ogale communities from the Niger Delta has taken a significant step forward following the filing at the High Court in London of the Ogale group claim register."
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New UK legal case on Niger Delta oil spills – a litmus test for justice in the energy transition
The case against Shell will likely influence whether or not individuals and communities in future cases can obtain remedy from companies disengaging from fossil fuel projects.
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UK: 14,000 Nigerians seek justice against Shell over alleged responsibility for pollution of their water sources
14,000 people from two Nigerian communities are suing Shell in the UK High Court over allegations of devastating pollution and destruction of livelihoods. The plaintiffs seek cleanup and compensation. Shell disputes their legal standing and argues against responsibility for spills, including those caused by oil theft from its pipelines.
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Nigeria: Shell must clean up devastating oil spills in the Niger Delta, says NGO
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Shell abandons push for oil spill case to be heard in Nigeria
"Shell has abandoned its final attempt to argue that a major lawsuit brought by thousands of Nigerians over an oil spill in the West African country should be heard in Nigeria rather than the UK."
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Nigerian communities’ oil pollution claims against Shell to go to trial as Shell abandons its jurisdiction arguments
"Unprecedented oil pollution claims against Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC will finally be heard in the High Court in London after the oil giant dropped its attempts to avoid English jurisdiction."
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Guest Post: Parent Companies’ Duty of Care: Cues for Ireland from the UK Supreme Court
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Shell in court, again: a short comparison of the Okpabi and Milieudefensie judgments
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Okpabi v Shell and Lungowe v Vedanta Dispel Three Myths
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Commentary: Lowering the bar (in a good way): the UK Supreme Court decision in Okpabi v. Shell
This commentary by Dr Roorda of Utrecht University provides legal analysis of the UK Supreme Court decision in Okpabi and others v Royal Dutch Shell Plc in which the court ruled that it is at least arguable that Shell had a duty of care towards the inhabitants of the Ogale and Bille communities.
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Okpabi v Shell. The Supreme Court reverses the Court of Appeal and the High Court on jurisdictional hurdles in parent /subsidiaries cases.
Professor Robert McCorquodale's take on the UK Supreme Court decision Okpabi v Shell in February 2021.
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UK Supreme Court in Okpabi Clarifies Parent Company Duty of Care Toward Persons Allegedly Harmed by Subsidiaries
Professor Doug Cassel's analysis of the UK Supreme Court decision in Okpabi v. Royal Dutch Shell.
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Commentary: UK Supreme Court reaffirms parent companies may owe a duty of care towards communities impacted by their subsidiaries in third countries
This commentary provides legal analysis of the UK Supreme Court decision in Okpabi and others v Royal Dutch Shell Plc released on Friday 12 February 2021.
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UK Supreme Court decision allowing Nigerian communities to sue Shell before English courts over oil pollution is "disappointing" says company
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La Cour suprême britannique autorise des fermiers nigérians à poursuivre Shell devant les tribunaux anglais pour pollution dans le delta du Niger
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Commentary : "Supreme Court Allows Appeal Against Shell and Nigerian Subsidiary"
Hausfeld's commentary on the UK Supreme Court decision ruling that the Nigerian communities' case against Shell over oil pollution in the Niger Delta can be heard before English Courts.
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UK: Supreme Court rules that polluted Nigerian communities can sue Royal Dutch Shell in the English courts
The Supreme Court has ruled that two Nigerian communities can bring their legal claims for clean-up and compensation against Royal Dutch Shell Plc and its Nigerian subsidiary in the English courts.
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UK: CORE & ICJ welcome landmark UK Supreme Court decision; Nigerian claimants can pursue environmental devastation allegations against Shell in UK courts
The UK Supreme Court judgment has allowed the Okpabi et al. v Royal Dutch Shell plc case to proceed, reversing earlier decisions by the Court of Appeal and the High Court, and reaffirming the precedent established in its own previous decision in Lungowe et al v Vedanta Resources plc (2019).
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Nigeria: Ogale communities in the Niger Delta take their fight against Shell to the UK Supreme Court
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UK: NGOs submit evidence to Supreme Court in case concerning Shell’s alleged responsibility for Niger Delta oil spills
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Supreme Court grants permission to appeal to Nigerian Communities in their fight against Shell
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Nigeria: UK Supreme Court grants permission to Nigerian communities in their fight against Shell over oil spills in Niger delta
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49 NGOs ask UK Supreme Court to allow Nigerian villagers to appeal against decision ruling Shell cannot be held responsible for pipeline spills affecting their livelihoods
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Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell: An opportunity to honour international standards or another instance of corporate impunity?
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UK: Supreme Court defers decision on application for permission to appeal in lawsuit brought by Nigerian communities against Shell over oil spill impacts
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Court of Appeal Decision Threatens to Close Route to Justice
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UK Supreme Court should allow 40.000 Nigerian villagers appeal a ruling that leaves victims of Shell's oil spills without remedy, civil society demands
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UK Court of Appeal Rules Royal Dutch Shell Not Liable for Nigeria Oil Spills
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Appeal court rules Nigerians cannot pursue Shell spill claim in England
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UK court hears appeal in Shell Nigeria oil spill case
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Court of Appeal to hear Nigerian villagers' pollution claims against Shell
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Court to decide on whether lawsuit against Shell over oil spills in Niger Delta can be heard in UK
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Court to decide if Shell can face trial in UK in lawsuit by communities over oil spill in Nigeria
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40,000 Nigerians take Shell to UK court over oil spills
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Two new legal actions launched against Shell over Nigerian oil pollution
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