"Touching and Concerning 'Kiobel': Continuing Implications", 18 May 2015

April marked the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum…Kiobel further restricted the district court's ability to recognize common law causes of action under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) and articulated a new "touch and concern" test for determining when it is permissible for an ATS claimant to seek the extraterritorial application of federal law. Although it did not bar all extraterritorial claims, the majority opinion…shut the door to most ATS suits brought by foreign plaintiffs against foreign defendants for conduct occurring on foreign soil…The full implications of Kiobel will become clearer as courts continue to flesh out the contours of "touch and concern," and lawyers on both sides of the issue concur another Supreme Court decision may be required to clarify exactly when U.S. companies can be sued.