abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

22 Feb 2018

Author:
Lucas Roorda, Rights as Usual

Okpabi v. Shell on Appeal: Foreign Direct Liability in Troubled Waters

This February...the Court of Appeals decided on the appeal against the interlocutory decision in Okpabi v. Shell...[I]n a split decision (Sales LJ disagreeing) it upheld the High Court’s ruling that the applicants had no arguable claim against Shell, dismissing the appeal on all counts. This post examines the main tenets of the Okpabi appeals decision, how it compares against similar cases like Lungowe, and what that may mean for the future of foreign direct liability cases in English courts.

...The Okpabi appeals decision is disappointing for several reasons. First, assessing “proximity” according to the standards set by the Court of Appeals essentially rewards corporate groups whose parent companies do not get actively involved with their subsidiaries’ operations...Second, it could be argued that the Court of Appeals’ approach to the proximity standard requires the plaintiffs to have a “winnable” rather than an “arguable” case...Third, this early incursion into the merits puts plaintiffs at a serious disadvantage with regard to producing evidence. They cannot rely on disclosure rules in this phase of the proceedings..

...A better approach...would “merely” require that the claimants demonstrate that their case was “more than speculative”.

...As the claimants have opted to take the case to the UK Supreme Court, it can only be hoped that some of the deficiencies in the Okpabi appeals decision are remedied later. If Okpabi is adopted as the right approach for assessing a ‘good arguable case’ for a duty of care, the prospects for foreign direct liability cases in the United Kingdom may be in serious jeopardy.

Timeline

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.