“Holding UK companies to account in the English courts for harming people in other countries”, 17 Aug 2016

The aim of this guide is to help communities, workers, and civil society organisations supporting them, to understand the process of using legal action in England to hold UK companies to account for harming people in other countries…Over the last 20 years, the English courts have established that in certain situations, a UK company operating in another country may owe duties to local communities. If these legal duties are breached, in some circumstances this may entitle members of those affected communities to take legal action against the UK company in the English courts...How is it possible to take legal action in England against a company for something that’s happened in another country?...In what situations could legal action in England be an option?...What could happen as a result of the legal action?...Could the company be made to change the way it operates?...Could the process be used to stop a company from going ahead with a project (for example, a mine) that hasn’t yet started?...How is taking legal action in England different from taking the company to court in the country where people were harmed?...