The ICJ and other human rights, environmental and development groups sent a letter to the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court in support of the Claimants’ application for permission to appeal in Okpabi and others v Royal Dutch Shell plc and another [2018] EWCA Civ 191 (Okpabi).
The case raises important issues relating to: the duties of UK-headquartered parent companies to those affected by their subsidiaries’ global operations; and access to justice for people allegedly harmed by these operations.
In the letter, the ICJ and other groups argue that plaintiffs should be allowed to appeal the decision by the UK Court of Appeal judgment in Okpabi which suggests a highly restrictive approach to parent company liability, which if left standing, is likely to drastically limit the options that victims of abuse have to access justice, and potentially encourage further irresponsible business behaviour.
UK-Okpabi vs Shell-Advocacy-open letters-2018-ENG (full open letter, in PDF)