Court of Appeal upholds ruling that claims by Zambian villagers against mining giant can be heard in UK court
The Court of Appeal has today upheld a High Court ruling allowing the legal case on behalf of 1,826 Zambian villagers against UK mining giant Vedanta Resources Plc and its Zambian subsidiary, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to continue to be heard in the UK Courts.
The Zambian villagers allege that their land and livelihood has been destroyed by the pollution from the Nchanga Copper Mine owned by Vedanta Resources PLC through their subsidiary KCM, going into the Mushishima river.
In 2015 the villagers took their legal action against Vedanta and KCM to the High Court and in Mr Justice Coulson’s judgment, handed down on 27 May 2016, he agreed that the Claimants had a legal right to bring their claim against the UK company, Vedanta Resources Plc, through the courts in the UK...
Vedanta and KCM took the High Court judgment to the Court of Appeal in July 2017...
In today’s judgment from the Court of Appeal Lord Justice Simon uphold[s] the original High Court judgment and dismiss[es] the appeals...
The judgment also sought to clarify the duty of care a parent company owes when operating via a subsidiary...