Experts discuss Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum

The New York Times this week featured a "Room for Debate" column on the case of Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, which was argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Participants in the debate included Tyler Giannini and Susan Farbstein of Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic, who submitted an amicus brief in the case.

To learn more about the Kiobel, check out Gianni and Farbstein's recent analysis for AFJ's Justice Watch blog, or download our comprehensive report on the case.

At stake in Kiobel is whether corporations can be held liable for participating in the commission of human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute. In this case, multinational oil companies are alleged to have aided and abetted human rights atrocities committed against environmental activists by the Nigerian military.

As Giannini and Farbstein wrote in the New York Times: "In the defendant’s view, even a corporation that decided to establish a torture center to assist a dictatorship, or began trading slaves for profit, could not be held liable."

Click here to read the rest of the New York Times discussion.