HEADLINE SUMMARY
In Okpabi & Ors v Royal Dutch Shell Plc & Anor (the "Shell Case"), the Supreme Court has overturned the decision of the Court of Appeal in the long-running dispute about whether the English courts have jurisdiction over mass tort claims brought against Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") by Nigerian groups said to have been affected by the operations of a Shell subsidiary in the Niger Delta.
The Shell Case is one of three cases[1] that have progressed through the English Courts in recent years in which groups of foreign claimants have sought to litigate claims in England against English companies at the head of multinational corporate groups arising from alleged wrongdoing by local foreign subsidiaries within the corporate group.
Select the drop downs to find out more and read our Key Takeaways from the Supreme Court decision:
[1] The others are the Vedanta Case and AAA & Ors v Unilever plc & Anor [2018] EWCA Civ 1532 (the "Unilever Case") our commentary in relation to the Unilever Case is available here. See also our brief comparison of the decisions in the Unilever Case and the Vedanta Case here.
[2] [2021] UKSC 3.
[3] [2018] EWCA Civ 191.