At international law, the circumstances when you may be able to hold the state responsible for an action is governed by a concept called “State Responsibility“. This sets out the circumstances when an action or an individual or body can be attributed to the State as a whole.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In English courts, Cambodian villagers are suing Tate & Lyle (a sugar giant) for the alleged acts of a Cambodian sugar company who violently evicted the villagers from their rightful lands. The contracts Tate & Lyle have with these companies and the profits they have made from the sale of their sugar mean they could be […]
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In Germany and the Democratic Republic of Congo, cases are being brought against senior management of a Swiss-German timber company (Danzer) for financial and logistical support they gave Congolese security forces as they committed war crimes against local villagers.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In Papua New-Guinea, courts have allowed BHP Billiton, a mining giant, to be sued for the environmental devastation caused by its predecessor, BHP.
Content type: Resource Bank
In US and Ecuadorian courts, farmers have sued DynCorp (a private contractor the US and Colombian government authorised under a plan to eradicate drug production) for its widespread use of toxic anti-drug sprays which caused local farmers severe physical and property damage.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In US courts, Jordanian-based Arab Bank were found liable for providing financial services to terrorist organisations and ordered to compensate victims.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In US courts, Indian farmers are currently bringing an action against IFC, an international financial institution, for its investment in a coal mine which caused severe environmental damage to their lands.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In Brazil, prosecutors have filed homicide charges against top executives of BHP Billiton, a mining giant, for the collapse of one of their dams which destroyed communities and killed 19 people.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
After being subjected to forced labour by a multinational ship repair company, 3 exploited Cuban workers brought a civil case against the company before a US court and were awarded $80 million in compensation for their severe physical and psychological injuries.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Public interest litigation (general),
In Kenya, a local community group came together and created a group called «Save Lamu» in response to environmental threats to their local area by a coal mine. They successfully challenged the licensing of a coal-fired power plant on the basis it was granted without a proper environmental impact assessment was conducted.
Content type: Resource Bank
Data type: Legal citations,
Legal Topic: Environment, Public interest litigation (general),
