42:
536:, joined by Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan, concurred with the judgment but rejected the Court's reasoning. The four justices did not believe that the presumption against extraterritoriality applies to the ATS. Instead, the concurrence sees ATS jurisdiction as limited to when the tort occurs on American soil, the defendant is an American national, or when there is an important American national interest like not providing safe harbor to
555:. He then outlines the long history of an international duty to not provide safe harbor to hostis humani generis, or the common enemy of mankind. He then reviews thirty years of U.S. Court of Appeals cases holding for extraterritorial application of the ATS. The concurrence takes issue with the majority's characterization of the ATS as "uniquely hospitable" by noting that many countries permit extraterritorial suits, citing Dutch, English,
1022:
another neutral country who fled to the United States any differently...Plainly put, history answers the questions raised in the request for supplemental briefing: Archival documents, as well as the text and purpose of the statute, confirm that the ATS provides redress for torts in violation of the law of nations occurring in foreign lands.
504:
The Court noted that all conduct at issue in the case took place outside the United States and that "it would reach too far to say that mere corporate presence suffices" to displace the presumption against extraterritoriality, unless
Congress determines otherwise in a statute more specific than the
1021:
In short, the
Bradford Opinion shows that historically the ATS could be used to remedy misconduct committed in a foreign country. Some have noted that Bradford was responding specifically to complaints about American actions. But there is no indication that Bradford would have treated nationals of
477:
The Court further reasoned that nothing in the text, history or purposes of the ATS rebuts the presumption. The common law transitory torts doctrine, which holds that causes based on a transitory action arising abroad may be considered as happening domestically, helps rebut the presumption, as the
465:
The Court, in an opinion joined by five justices, held that the presumption against extraterritoriality applies to claims under the ATS, and nothing in the statute rebuts that presumption. The presumption against extraterritoriality is a canon of statutory interpretation that provides there is no
446:
Unexpectedly, the
Supreme Court announced, on March 5, 2012, that it would hold additional argument on the case during the October 2012 term. It directed the parties to file new briefs on the question "Whether and under what circumstances the Alien Tort Statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1350, allows courts to
397:
Plaintiffs sought damages under the ATS. The defendants moved to dismiss based on a two-pronged argument. Firstly, they argued that customary international law itself provides the rules to decide whether conduct violates the law of nations where non-state actors are alleged to have committed the
405:; and violation of the rights to life, liberty, security, and association. It reasoned that customary international law did not define the violations with sufficient particularity. The court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss with respect to the remaining claims of aiding and abetting
493:
by joining a French privateer fleet to attack a
British Colony, in spite of an official US policy of neutrality. The Court said the opinion "defies a definitive reading and...hardly suffices to counter the weighty concerns underlying the presumption against extraterritoriality".
587:
Lower courts have been left to answer which ATS claims "touch and concern the territory of the United States ... with sufficient force" to overcome the presumption against extraterritoriality, and this has been the subject of most post-Kiobel litigation in the lower courts.
342:
The Court did not rule out the possibility of corporate liability if the presumption against extraterritoriality could be overcome by acts that sufficiently "touch and concern" the United States. Lower court decisions were divided. After the
Supreme Court's 2018 decision in
427:
Under international law, "corporate liability is not a discernible—much less a universally recognized—norm of customary international law," and the court could apply to the ATS. Also, the plaintiffs' ATS claims should indeed be dismissed for lack of subject matter
572:
876:
473:
observed that while the presumption applies to merits questions and the ATS is strictly jurisdictional, the presumption against extraterritoriality should still apply to the statute because of the danger of judicial interference in foreign policy.
339:. According to the Court's majority opinion, "it would reach too far to say that mere corporate presence suffices" to displace the presumption against extraterritoriality when all the alleged wrongful conduct takes place outside the United States.
420:
Under both U.S. Supreme Court and Second
Circuit precedents over the previous 30 years that address ATS suits alleging violations of customary international law, the scope of liability is determined by customary international law
578:
Ultimately, however, the concurrence agrees with the Court's judgment, as the mere corporate presence of a foreign defendant does not invoke a national interest in denying safe harbor to a common enemy of mankind.
424:
Under
Supreme Court precedent, the ATS requires courts to apply norms of international law, not domestic law, to the scope of defendants' liabilities. The norms must be "specific, universal and obligatory".
1300:
908:"The Question Before the US Supreme Court in Kiobel v Shell – If Corporations Have the Same Rights as People To Make Political Donations, Then Surely They Also Have Human Rights Obligations?"
416:
In a 2–1 decision issued on
September 17, 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that corporations cannot be held liable for violations of customary international law:
1120:"And even where the claims touch and concern the territory of the United States, they must do so with sufficient force to displace the presumption against extraterritorial application"
1219:
692:
167:
92:
526:, agreed that the statute does not apply extraterritorially and argued that it should be read to apply to only the international law violations that had been identified by
432:
Kiobel petitioned the
Supreme Court for review of the Second Circuit's decision. It was granted on October 17, 2011. Oral arguments were held on February 28, 2012, with
516:
separately wrote a one-paragraph concurrence noting that the presumption against extraterritorial application "may require some further elaboration and explanation."
774:
1320:
1012:
563:
sources. The Court's concern on unwarranted judicial interference in the conduct of foreign affairs is rejected by Breyer, who notes US obligations under the
413:. The district court then certified its entire order for interlocutory appeal to the Second Circuit based on the serious nature of the questions at issue.
547:
Breyer first attacks the majority's view that the presumption is not rebutted. He notes that while the majority sees the ATS as applying to piracy on the
371:
who claimed that Dutch, British, and
Nigerian oil-exploration corporations aided and abetted the Nigerian government in the 1990s to commit violations of
1310:
758:
147:
140:
1305:
1196:
907:
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recognize a cause of action for violations of the law of nations occurring within the territory of a sovereign other than the United States."
355:
is considered a 'foreign cubed' case in which foreign plaintiffs made a claim against a foreign company for human rights violations overseas.
1315:
1153:
1325:
349:
ruled out an ATS cause of action against foreign corporate defendants, the significance of the "touch and concern" test remains unclear.
482:
401:
On September 29, 2006, the district court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims for aiding and abetting property destruction; forced exile;
398:
wrong in question. Second, they contended that no norm has ever existed between nations that imposes liability upon corporate actors.
310:
46:
1274:
1091:
782:
410:
640:
877:"Justice on the High Seas: The Supreme Court Says Corporations Have a Right to Free Speech. But Can They Get Away with Murder?"
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556:
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551:, piracy necessarily occurs aboard a ship and so is considered to occur within the territory of the ship's
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wanted to make the United States a "uniquely hospitable forum for the enforcement of international norms."
903:
845:
67:
Kiobel, Individually and on behalf of her late husband Kiobel, et al. v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. et al.
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539:
470:
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336:
171:
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SCOTUSblog links to the opinion and numerous discussions of the case by legal analysts, April 17, 2013.
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that "there can be no doubt" of tort liability for American citizens who had been plundering inside
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Reargument of the case occurred on October 1, 2012, with Sullivan reappearing for Shell and the
17:
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391:
376:
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Leval, Pierre N. "The Long Arm of International Law." 92 Foreign Affairs 16 (Mar./Apr. 2013).
1279:
1081:
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Opinion at 4.
1072:
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Opinion at 7.
1063:
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Opinion at 1.
881:
530:
in 1769: violation of safe conducts, infringement of the rights of ambassadors, and piracy.
1013:"Online Kiobel symposium: The Alien Tort Statute and the importance of historical evidence"
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872:
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513:
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247:
223:
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extraterritorial application of a statute unless there is a clear indication otherwise.
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211:
76:
573:
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
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380:
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489:. The Bradford Opinion was a response to British complaints about US citizens who
486:
387:, in a brutal crushing of peaceful resistance to aggressive oil development in the
243:
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314:
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Kiobel, (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Op. at 8, citing, inter alia,
255:
850:
552:
103:
962:
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 569 U.S. ____(2013), Slip Opinion at 5.
548:
99:
1257:
184:
The presumption against extraterritoriality applies to claims under the
368:
152:
443:
The arguments received considerable attention in the legal community.
497:
Finally, the Court found it would be implausible to suppose that the
775:"Corporate Liability Claims Not Actionable Under Alien Tort Statute"
388:
1148:. Aspen Publishing; Wolters Kluwer. June 26, 2018. p. 304.
157:
1102:
Kiobel, (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Op. at 9-10.
331:
decision in which the court found that the presumption against
41:
806:"Corporate Executives: Get Ready for a Billion Dollar Lawsuit"
481:
The Court also disregarded a 1795 opinion by Attorney General
1282:
with Paul L. Hoffman, who represented the plaintiffs, on the
1111:
Kiobel, (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Op. at 11.
1045:
Kiobel, (Breyer, J., concurring in judgment), Slip Op. at 16.
296:
Breyer (in judgment), joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan
491:
violated a treaty between the United States and Britain
1301:
United States Supreme Court cases of the Roberts Court
743:
The Case for an International Court of Civil Justice
1011:Giannini, Tyler; Farbstein, Susan (July 17, 2012).
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1185:"The Alien Tort Statute and the Law of Nations in
409:; crimes against humanity; and torture or cruel,
383:its Nigerian subsidiary, in cooperation with the
272:Roberts, joined by Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito
1054:133 S. Ct. 1659, 1670, (Alito, J., concurring).
436:arguing for Shell and Deputy Solicitor General
644:, 760 F.3d 1185 (11th Cir. 2014), Cert. Denied
846:"Court To Rule on Suing Corporations and PLO"
8:
988:
986:
616:906 F.3d 1120 (9th Cir. 2018), reversed by
537:
1134:. The Oxford Commentaries on American Law.
716:. Oxford University Press. pp. 45–48.
31:
745:. Cambridge University Press. p. 76.
754:
752:
1267:Supreme Court (slip opinion) (archived)
681:
146:); affirmed in part, reversed in part,
730:. Aspen Publishing. 2020. p. 238.
641:Cardona v. Chiquita Brands Int'l, Inc.
1169:Supreme Court Docket Files No. 14-777
1041:
1039:
714:Prosecuting Corporations for Genocide
605:Al Shimari v. Caci Premier Technology
29:2013 United States Supreme Court case
7:
804:Kerschberg, Ben (December 2, 2010).
144:, 456 F. Supp. 2d 457 (S.D.N.Y. 2006
1216:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
689:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
457:now arguing as a friend to Kiobel.
324:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
142:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
35:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
773:Kearney, Colin (January 1, 2011).
544:, or the common enemy of mankind.
47:Supreme Court of the United States
25:
1311:United States Supreme Court cases
1226:108 (2013) is available from:
628:, 767 F.3d 1229 (11th Cir. 2014)
478:statute may have other meanings.
783:Suffolk Transnational Law Review
411:inhuman, and degrading treatment
40:
1321:Nigeria–United States relations
760:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum
608:, 758 F.3d 516 (4th Cir. 2014),
452:United States Solicitor General
440:arguing as a friend to Kiobel.
18:Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum
1306:2013 in United States case law
1183:Colangelo, Anthony J. (2013).
762:, 621 F.3d 111 (2d Cir. 2010).
636:, 771 F.3d 580 (9th Cir. 2014)
575:, and several other treaties.
557:International Court of Justice
407:arbitrary arrest and detention
375:. The plaintiffs claimed that
1:
663:Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Shell Co.
600:, 770 F.3d 170 (2d Cir. 2014)
327:, 569 U.S. 108 (2013), was a
1316:Royal Dutch Shell litigation
335:applies to claims under the
1326:Alien Tort Statute case law
373:customary international law
329:United States Supreme Court
148:621 F.3d 111 (2d Cir. 2010)
1342:
1258:Oyez (oral argument audio)
625:Baloco v. Drummond Co. Inc
565:Convention Against Torture
591:Some of these cases are:
305:
197:
183:
39:
1285:World Socialist Web Site
670:Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC
346:Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC
56:Reargued October 1, 2012
54:Argued February 28, 2012
1280:23 April 2013 Interview
1033:Kiobel, Slip Op. at 12.
939:"Kiobel To Be Reargued"
741:Steinitz, Maya (2019).
656:Bowoto v. Chevron Corp.
618:Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe
597:Mastafa v. Chevron Corp
569:third Geneva Convention
469:Writing for the Court,
288:Alito, joined by Thomas
992:Kiobel, Slip Op at 12.
980:Kiobel, Slip Op at 11.
538:
106:3159; 81 U.S.L.W. 4241
58:Decided April 17, 2013
1001:127 Harv. L. Rev. 308
971:Kiobel, Slip Op at 8.
906:(February 28, 2012).
875:(February 28, 2012).
728:National Security Law
633:Mujica v. AirScan Inc
540:hostis humani generis
471:Chief Justice Roberts
403:extrajudicial killing
337:Alien Tort Claims Act
98:133 S. Ct. 1659; 185
1130:Symeonides, Symeon.
844:(October 17, 2011).
160:379 (2d Cir. 2011);
810:The Huffington Post
561:European Commission
385:Nigerian government
333:extraterritoriality
232:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
712:Kelly, Michael J.
613:Doe v. Nestle S.A.
528:William Blackstone
363:The plaintiffs in
307:Alien Tort Statute
208:Associate Justices
186:Alien Tort Statute
1155:978-1-4548-9268-7
1146:International Law
937:(March 5, 2012).
830:February 28, 2012
583:Post-Kiobel cases
434:Kathleen Sullivan
392:Niger River Delta
377:Royal Dutch Shell
367:were citizens of
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132:Case history
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1189:and Beyond"
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315:§ 1350
293:Concurrence
285:Concurrence
277:Concurrence
256:Elena Kagan
1295:Categories
1017:SCOTUSblog
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851:SCOTUSblog
789:January 3,
677:References
553:flag state
379:compelled
359:Background
163:certiorari
126:Reargument
122:Reargument
104:U.S. LEXIS
102:671; 2013
73:Docket no.
549:high seas
166:granted,
100:L. Ed. 2d
83:Citations
1214:Text of
948:March 5,
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649:See also
461:Decision
269:Majority
112:Argument
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280:Kennedy
179:Holding
153:en banc
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