* At issue is reach of 1789 US law used to sue corps
* Lawsuit accuses Shell of aiding Nigerian rights abuses
* Ruling expected by the end of June
By James Vicini
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – The Supreme Court
will weigh next week whether corporations can be sued
in the United States for suspected complicity in human rights
abuses abroad, in a case being closely
watched by businesses concerned about long and costly
litigation.
The high court on Tuesday will consider the reach
of a 1789 U.S. law that had been largely dormant until 1980,
when human rights lawyers started using it, at first to sue
foreign government officials. Then, over the next 20 years, the
lawyers used the law to target multinational corporations.
The case before the court pits the Obama
administration and human rights advocates against large
companies and foreign governments over allegations
that Royal Dutch Shell Plc helped Nigeria
crush oil exploration protests in the 1990s.
Administration attorneys and lawyers for the plaintiffs
contend corporations can be held accountable in U.S.
courts for committing or assisting foreign governments in
torture, executions or other human rights abuses.
Attorneys for corporations argue that
only individuals, such as company employees or managers involved
in the abuse, can be sued, a position adopted by a
U.S. appeals court in New York. Other courts ruled corporations
can be held liable.
Continued…
