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  Lawsuits & regulatory action against companies: General materials 1997-2001  

See also other materials on "Lawsuits & regulatory action against companies"

2001:

U.S. [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] Sues Allstate [Allstate Insurance Company], Whose Agents Cite Age Discrimination (Joseph Treaster, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2001)

Groups file pollution suit against Alcoa in Texas: Environmental and public interest groups filed suit yesterday against Alcoa Inc., the world's biggest aluminum producer, alleging violations of the Clean Air Act by the company's smelter in Rockdale, Texas (Reuters, 27 Dec. 2001)

Cape to compensate South Africa asbestos miners: Building materials firm Cape Plc reached a conditional deal last week to pay 21 million pounds ($30 million) to South African miners who blame it for asbestos-related diseases they contracted in the 1970s. (Rex Merrifield, Reuters, 24 Dec. 2001)

Manchester Man Admits Guilty in Lead Poisoning Case [USA]; Plea to Forging Lead Hazard Disclosure Documents is Precedent Setting: A Manchester, N.H. [New Hampshire] man and his company [JTA Real Estate Brokerage and Property Management] pleaded guilty in federal court today in connection with a lead poisoning case involving the death of a two-year-old girl...The case...is the first case in the nation in which a corporation has been criminally prosecuted for failing to provide federal LBP [lead-based paint] disclosure information to residential tenants. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Dec. 2001)

Workers Sue Philips Lighting [USA]: Hundreds of former light bulb factory workers who say they were exposed to mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals sued Philips Lighting Co. and several other companies Tuesday...The previous owners - Westinghouse Electric Corp., which opened the factory in 1941, and its successor, Viacom Inc. - are named as co-defendants, along with West Virginia chemical suppliers Chem Quick, Par Chem, Blue Ribbon Paint Co. and Charleston Valve and Fitting Co. (Vicki Smith, Associated Press, 18 Dec. 2001)

Patrick Stevedores fined $100,000 over work safety [Australia]: Patrick Stevedores was convicted and fined $100,000 in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday over work safety breaches...The stevedoring company, which provides labour for loading and unloading ships, pleaded guilty last Friday to failure to provide a safe plant and equipment. (Andra Jackson, The Age [Australia], 18 Dec. 2001)

Comprehensive EEOC, Wal-Mart Settlement Resolves Disability Lawsuit: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that a $6.8 million consent decree with retail giant Wal-Mart Stores was signed today [resolves EEOC's lawsuit alleging Wal-Mart violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 17 Dec. 2001)

United States Announces $11.2 Million Settlement of Hazardous Waste Case Against Exxon Mobil (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Dec. 2001)

California cattle ranch, owner, foreman plead guilty [to violating Clean Water Act; defendants admitted to discharging cattle waste without proper permits and dumping dead cattle carcasses into Elder and Willow Creeks] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 Dec. 2001)

Blow to asbestos claimants: Britain's Court of Appeal ruled on Tuesday that people suffering from asbestos-related diseases will not receive compensation if they were exposed to the mineral fibres by more than one employer. But the ruling does not affect the claims by South Africans against Cape PLC. (News24.com [South Africa], 13 Dec. 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] Opposes Settlement of Rent-A-Center Lawsuit:...In May, 1999 the EEOC filed a lawsuit...charging that Rent-A-Center [rental furniture, appliances, electronics & computers], when it acquired a competitor named Rentronics, terminated female employees and refused to hire female applicants in Tennessee and Arkansas because of their sex. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 13 Dec. 2001)

Outrage At Png Attempt To Give BHP A Royal Farewell [Papua New Guinea]:...After permitting the company to dump 80,000 tonnes of waste a day into the Fly and Ok Tedi river system since 1984 BHP has now been given a final gift from the PNG National Government - an unrestricted legal indemnity for all the pollution and destruction it has already caused and will occur in the future as result of the continuing operation of its Ok Tedi mine. It has precipitated an unprecedented constitutional challenge by former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. (Mineral Policy Institute and PNG NGO Environmental Watch Group, 12 Dec. 2001)

Garment worker tells U.S. Congress of beatings, abuse in American Samoa: A former garment worker at Daewoosa Samoa in American Samoa has testified before a U.S. Congressional panel about alleged slave conditions and sexual abuse. The congressional panel was reviewing the implementation of the 2000 law to curb human trafficking and servitude in the U.S. Daewoosa Samoa owner Kil-Soo Lee, jailed in Honolulu, is facing federal charges under this law. (Fili Sagapolutele, Samoa News/Pacific Islands Report, 9 Dec. 2001)

Steelworkers demand public inquiry into fatal explosion at Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting [Canada]: Following last week’s guilty plea by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited (HBM&S) to keeping an unsafe workplace, the United Steelworkers is asking Premier Doer to order a public inquiry into the furnace explosion that killed Steve Ewing and injured 13 others workers on Aug. 8, 2000. (United Steelworkers [Canada], 7 Dec. 2001)

Connecticut company to pay $3 million for water violations [USA]: MacDermid Inc., a chemical manufacturer in Waterbury, Conn., pleaded guilty to four felony violations of the Clean Water Act (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Dec. 2001)

Bhopal's Legacy:...Survivors' organisations believe that a November 15, 2001, decision of the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirms their claims of environmental damages due to Union Carbide's routine pollution in Bhopal. This, they say, is likely to have far-reaching consequences for Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide earlier this year. (Sandhya Srinivasan, CorpWatch, 6 Dec. 2001)

Hungary claims $100 mln over cyanide river spill [lawsuit against Aurul, a gold smelter half-owned by Australia's Esmeralda Exploration Ltd] (Krisztina Than, Reuters, 4 Dec. 2001)

Litigation Update: A Summary of Recent Developments in U.S. Cases Brought Under the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Protection Act [includes updates on human rights-related lawsuits against Unocal, Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell, Southern Peru Copper Corporation, Rio Tinto, Union Carbide, Pfizer, various U.S. apparel retailers & manufacturers of clothing produced in Saipan factories, Gap, Talisman Energy, Coca-Cola, Texaco, DynCorp, ExxonMobil] (Jennifer Green [staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights] and Paul Hoffman [civil rights attorney and editor of ACLU International Civil Liberties Report], in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Holocaust Restitution in the United States and Other Claims For Historical Wrongs - An Update [includes updates on human rights-related lawsuits against Credit Suisse, Union Bank of Switzerland, Swiss Bank Corporation, German & Austrian banks, French banks, Barclays Bank, Chase Manhattan Bank, J.P. Morgan, European insurance companies, Ford Motor Co., German corporations including Degussa and Siemens; Japanese corporations including Nippon Sharyo, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel; New York Life Insurance Co.] (Michael J. Bazyler, Professor of Law at Whittier Law School, in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Recent ILRF [International Labor Rights Fund] Cases to Enforce Human Rights Under the ATCA [includes reference to human rights-related cases against Unocal, ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, DynCorp] (Terry Collingsworth, Executive Director of International Labor Rights Fund, in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

Ford to File Motions to Settle Suits [USA]: Ford Motor Co. plans to file motions next week with proposed settlement terms in a pair of age discrimination class actions lawsuits filed by current and former employees...Negotiations to settle the individual suits have been less fruitful (Ed Garsten, AP, 30 Nov. 2001)

Company fined over student's death [UK]: A company [shipping company Euromin Ltd] was fined £50,000 for safety breaches following the death of a student within hours of him taking a casual labouring job...But a legal battle by Simon Jones's family and protest campaigners, to see the company prosecuted for corporate manslaughter, ended in failure. (BBC News, 29 Nov. 2001)

It's the real thing—murders at Coke [Colombia: regarding the case brought in U.S. court alleging Coca Cola, Panamerican Beverages & Bebidas y Alimentos were complicit in the assassination of Colombian union leaders] (David Bacon, Labor Advocate Online, 24 Nov. 2001)

Asbestos victims widen quest for compensation [South Africa/UK]: THE victims in SA's biggest asbestos claim have shown SA mining company Gefco and insurance firm General Accident SA that they intend to widen their focus in their quest for compensation. Although talks are continuing to settle the matter with Cape plc, the victims are looking to the two companies to acknowledge responsibility for the past and offer compensation. (Business Day [South Africa], 23 Nov. 2001)

New laws to hit negligent bosses [state of Victoria, Australia]: Negligent bosses could face up to five years behind bars under new laws to be introduced to Parliament this week. Attorney-General Rob Hulls said the laws would remove the corporate veil from directors who liquidated their companies to avoid prosecution. Under the laws, companies whose gross negligence causes the death of a worker will face fines up to $5 million. Senior officers of those companies face five years' jail or fines up to $180,000. Last year, 31 Victorians were killed in the workplace. (Ashley Gardiner, Herald Sun [Melbourne, Australia], 21 Nov. 2001)

House aims to put cap on asbestos liability [USA]: Pennsylvania's House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday that limits the asbestos liability of the Philadelphia-based Crown Cork & Seal Co., which employs 1,000 Pennsylvanians, including about 267 in Fayette County. State House Republican leader John Perzel of Philadelphia claimed the company could go bankrupt because of asbestos lawsuits. (Dennis Barbagello, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 21 Nov. 2001)

Vaal residents claim Iscor poisoned them [South Africa]: Residents of two tiny agricultural plots in Vanderbijlpark, an industrial town in the Vaal Triangle, will square up to iron and steel giant Iscor in the Johannesburg High Court early next week. (Khadija Magardie, Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 16 Nov. 2001)

Class Status Denied in Microsoft Race Suit [USA]: A federal judge in Seattle on Friday denied class certification for employees suing Microsoft Corp. over alleged racial and gender discrimination, ruling the software giant's managerial system was sound. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft had rejected charges that it gave current and former black and female employees subpar pay, promotions and evaluations. (Reuters, 16 Nov. 2001) 

J&J Accused of Pay Discrimination: Two Johnson & Johnson employees have sued the health care giant, accusing it of paying its black and Hispanic workers less than white colleagues and failing to promote them despite a 4-year-old internal study that said it discriminated against minority employees. Washington lawyer Cyrus Mehri, who oversaw similar racial discrimination cases against Texaco and Coca-Cola Co., and civil rights attorney Johnnie Cochran filed the federal lawsuit Thursday, seeking to represent the company's thousands of Hispanic and black workers. The company said in a statement Friday that it takes the charges in the lawsuit seriously and will ``investigate them fully.''  But it also said it has long promoted workplace diversity. (Amy Westfeldt, Associated Press, 16 Nov. 2001) 

Exxon Valdez ruling frustrates Alaska plaintiffs: Plaintiffs in the 12-year court battle over the nation's worst oil spill say they are frustrated that the case will continue to drag on now that an appeals court has struck down the landmark $5 billion punitive fine assessed for the Exxon Valdez oil disaster. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 12 Nov. 2001)

SUDAN: Special Rapporteur queries use of oil revenues - Gerhart Baum, the [United Nations] Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Sudan, called for documentation to verify how the Sudanese government uses its oil revenues in a report discussed yesterday at the UN General Assembly. "Oil exploitation has continued to have a negative impact on the human rights situation," Baum told delegates in New York yesterday. "There is no concrete evidence of oil revenues being spent for the development of the south, in spite of the fact that 40% of the national budget comes from oil." (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 9 Nov. 2001)

RIGHTS: Canadian Oil Firm Sued In U.S. Court Over Sudan Dealings - An anti-slavery group has filed suit in U.S. court against the largest foreign investor in Sudan's oil sector. The move follows years of campaigning to force Western oil companies out of the country. The target of the litigation is Canada-based Talisman Energy Co., Inc. The company strongly denied all charges. (InterPress Service, 9 Nov. 2001)

Talisman disputes charges of 'ethnic cleansing' in Sudan U.S. lawsuit launched: Talisman Energy Inc. said it "strongly disputes" allegations made in a class-action lawsuit filed yesterday in the United States that seeks substantial compensation for victims of the Sudan civil war. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 9 Nov. 2001)

Talisman faces suit over Sudan: A US anti-slavery group yesterday filed a Dollars 1bn (Pounds 600m) lawsuit against Talisman, the Canadian oil company, alleging its operations in Sudan have contributed to an ethnic cleansing campaign against civilians in the country's south. The class action suit, led by a southern Sudanese church leader, also seeks an injunction to prevent Talisman from continuing to co-operate with the Sudanese government, which has been involved in a 20-year war with southern rebels. (Edward Alden & Ken Warn, Financial Times, 9 Nov. 2001)

Suit filed in U.S. against Talisman - Sudan class action disappoints firm - Talisman Energy Inc. is "disappointed" about a class-action lawsuit filed in the United States against the company yesterday alleging complicity in human rights abuses in Sudan, a spokesman for the company said. "Obviously, Talisman believes in and respects human rights of all individuals around the world, so we're disappointed to learn of this action," said David Mann, the company's manager of investor relations. "We believe we have actively promoted transparency, respect for human rights and an end to the civil war in Sudan." (Lily Nguyen, Globe & Mail [Canada], 9 Nov. 2001) 

Exxon Valdez appeals ruling stuns Alaskans: Exxon Mobil Corp.'s reprieve this week from a $5 billion punitive fine stunned and angered Alaskans who had sued the energy giant for punitive damages from the 1989 Valdez oil spill disaster (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 9 Nov. 2001)

US court rules $5 bln Exxon Valdez award excessive: A federal appeals court yesterday overturned a $5 billion punitive damages award against Exxon Mobil Corp. in the worst oil spill in U.S. history - the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster - and ordered a district court to set a new, lower amount (Andrew Quinn, Reuters, 8 Nov. 2001)

Statement of Carl Pope [Sierra Club Executive Director] Regarding Court Ruling $5 Billion Exxon Valdez Award Excessive [USA]:..."A high punitive fine is necessary for one of the world's largest corporations that acted in an irresponsible fashion. Exxon harmed the environment and threatened the livelihood of Alaskans" (Sierra Club, 7 Nov. 2001)

Antislavery group to sue Talisman oil for $1 bln: A director of a U.S. antislavery group plans to file a $1-billion class action lawsuit against Talisman Energy Inc., alleging the Canadian oil company participated in human rights abuses in Sudan...The American Anti-Slavery Group said in a statement the suit, scheduled to be filed on Thursday, charges Talisman "with violations of international law for participating in the ethnic cleansing of black and non-Muslim minorities in southern Sudan."...The suit charges that: "Talisman, in an effort to protect its oil fields in Sudan, aided and abetted the fundamentalist Islamic government in its ongoing and self-proclaimed 'jihad' -- a campaign that has resulted in massive civilian displacement; the burning of villages, churches and crops; and the murder and enslavement of innocent civilians" (Reuters, 7 Nov. 2001)

Cape plc Opens Talks With South African Asbestos Victims: First breakthrough in compensation campaign? - Cape mined asbestos in South Africa for almost a century. "Children were employed, unprotected, in the most hazardous tasks of sorting asbestos with their bare hands and trampling it with their bare feet," recalled ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs in letters last month to Montpellier and other major shareholders. "Due to the atrocious conditions at the mines and mills, thousands of South Africans developed the fatal asbestos cancer, mesothelioma, and the debilitating disease of asbestosis." (International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions [ICEM],  6 Nov. 2001)

Montedison to pay 525 bln lire pollution settlement [Italy]: Agro-energy conglomerate Montedison has agreed to pay 525 billion lire ($245.5 million) to clean up environmental contamination at a chemical plant near Venice...The settlement was disclosed a day after 28 former executives of Montedison, and its two units Enimont and Enichem were acquitted of manslaughter charges in the cancer deaths of 157 workers at the Petrochimico factory in Marghera, in northern Italy. (Reuters, 5 Nov. 2001)

Illinois scrap smelter to shut doors-trade sources [USA]: Chemetco Inc., a privately held secondary copper refiner, is planning to close its smelter in East Hartford, Illinois and file for Chapter 11, according to market sources...Another source familiar with the situation said she understood that Chemetco's problems with toxic-waste dumping was it's ultimate undoing. In October last year, a federal judge fined Chemetco $3.8 million for installing a secret pipe and illegally dumping hazardous metal-filled water into a local creek for a decade. (Carole Vaporean, Reuters, 5 Nov. 2001)

Court orders Freeport to clean up its act [West Papua]: WALHI, Indonesia's leading environmental organisation, has scored a landmark victory in its court case against copper and gold miners PT Freeport Indonesia [Freeport, which denies the charges, will appeal.]  Meanwhile, militarisation is being intensified at the mine, as the Indonesian security forces pledge to protect it from alleged threats from "separatist groups". (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

NLRB [U.S. National Labor Relations Board] Cites More Wal-Mart Law-Breaking: Says Company Only Fixed Safety Hazards After Workers Began Union Campaign, Tried to "Stack" Eligible Voters - Retailer Facing Seven Additional Trials For Dozens of Unfair Labor Practices -...a National Labor Relations Board investigation into charges filed by UFCW Local 880 found evidence that the company's motivation was to illegally discourage the workers' support for the Union. The Labor Board issued a formal complaint last Friday and ordered a hearing before an administrative law judge to begin on January 15, 2002. (United Food and Commercial Workers Union, 30 Oct. 2001) 

Man barred from flight sues airline - Pakistani says it was discrimination [USA]: A Pakistani who works at a technology company in Mill Valley [California] filed a discrimination suit yesterday against United Airlines after the airline refused to let him board a flight at San Francisco International Airport last month. (Harriet Chiang, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Oct. 2001) 

Federal Court Judge Rejects Motion to Dismiss Landmark Sweatshop Class Action Against Saipan Garment Factories, The Gap, Target and Other Retailers [Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, USA] - First Case to Hold Retailers Accountable for Factory Sweatshop Abuses Will Proceed to Trial: In a closely-watched human rights case, a U.S. District Judge in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands today upheld the complaint in a class action lawsuit alleging sweatshop conditions on the Western Pacific Island of Saipan. This ruling allows the case to proceed to trial. (Sweatshop Watch, 29 Oct. 2001)

Supreme Court rejects test case of workplace religious harassment [USA]: An employee fired after giving Bibles to co-workers and praying with them lost his religious harassment case before the Supreme Court, but justices refused Monday to block a trial on the termination. (Gina Holland, Associated Press, in San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Oct. 2001)

Court upholds $1 million award in racial harassment case [USA]: A federal appeals court unanimously upheld a verdict awarding a black employee $1 million in punitive damages after he experienced repeated racial harassment on the job at a cardboard company near Seattle. (Associated Press, in San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Oct. 2001)

China awards lung disease compensation: A court in eastern China has awarded compensation to nearly 200 farmers who developed lung disease while digging a tunnel...The farmers in the eastern province of Zhejiang claimed that engineering companies who hired them took no steps to protect against high levels of silicon dust in the tunnel...Ten of the farmers have already died of silicosis...The ruling comes as Chinese legislators are expected to approve a new law aimed at reducing the number of industrial accidents and diseases. (BBC News, 25 Oct. 2001)

Unlawful Conspiracy Restricted Production of Cipro, Consumers Charge in Suit Filed [in USA] Today Against Bayer Corporation - Bayer Paid Competitors $200mm to Keep Generic Cipro Off the Market; Suit Asks Court to Intercede, Nullify Agreement and Open the Way For Generics to Enter the Market: The Prescription Access Litigation (PAL) project announced today it has gone to court to dislodge an agreement between Bayer, Barr Laboratories, and two other generic drug companies that it says is blocking access to adequate supplies and cheaper, generic versions of Cipro, now the leading antibiotic used to treat Anthrax. Decrying the inadequacy of the arrangement that the federal government just negotiated with Bayer, consumer groups in eleven states – representing over one million consumers - have signed onto the litigation. (Prescription Access Litigation project, 24 Oct. 2001)

Wal-Mart TV ad tells the story of two deaf men's employment discrimination claim against the retail giant: Beginning this week, and for the next two weeks, ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in Arizona will air a 60-second commercial in Phoenix and Tucson featuring two young men who are deaf telling about their experience filing a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and later working for Wal-Mart...The commercial is required as a part of the settlement of a contempt action reached last month between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Fass and Darnell [the two men], and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 23 Oct. 2001)

Gasoline blenders face prison for dirty fuel: Executives at a Texas-based gasoline blending company face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines after pleading guilty to falsifying test results on anti-smog fuel, the [U.S.] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said last week (Reuters, 22 Oct. 2001)

{···français} Elf est poursuivie pour son soutien au président congolais Sassou Nguesso [Republic of Congo]: Une plainte a été déposée à Bruxelles pour complicité de crimes - La société TotalFinaElf est citée au côté de l'ancien président du Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou Nguesso dans une plainte pour "crimes contre l'humanité" commis pendant la guerre civile de 1997 [download under heading Total Fina Elf (II)] (Le Monde, 18 Oct. 2001)

French judge probes TotalFinaElf on Erika oil spill: French oil company TotalFinaElf is to be placed under judicial investigation over the sinking of its oil tanker Erika, which caused huge marine and coastal pollution in 1999, the company said this week. TotalFinaElf said French judge Dominique de Talance had told the company she intended to investigate accusations that it failed to take the necessary action to avoid the accident and for complicity in deliberate violation of safety rules...TotalFinaElf rejected the accusations, saying it was not warned the ship was unsafe and therefore the security lapse was not its fault. It also said maritime authorities, not the company, should have worked to limit pollution. (Reuters, 18 Oct. 2001)

IBP strikes deals with EPA over environmental claims [USA]: Beef and pork processor IBP Inc. said last week it reached a deal with federal and state officials to settle a lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging environmental problems at a company facility it owns and two former company plants. Under the agreement's terms, the federal agency will receive $2.25 million and the state of Nebraska will receive $1.85 million from IBP. (Reuters, 15 Oct. 2001)

On Corporate Influence: An unbalanced justice [USA] - What began as a noble concept -- using arbitration instead of the courts to settle many disputes -- has developed into a grossly unfair commercial justice system. In a three-part series that concluded Tuesday, Chronicle staff writer Reynolds Holding provided compelling evidence of serious problems in a system of mandatory arbitration that has become dominated by corporate interests. The series showed case after case in which workers and consumers with legitimate grievances had no chance of getting a fair remedy in arbitration. (editorial, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2001)

Sweatshop Case May Grow - Courts: Companies in Saipan [Northern Mariana Islands - U.S. territory] are ordered to identify workers for a class-action suit. - The U.S. District Court in Saipan signed an order this week opening the door to more potential plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging widespread sweatshop abuses in the island's garment trade. (Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2001)

Outrage as Premier wins court case in Pakistan: Premier Oil have survived round one in their contest with environmentalists to explore for gas in Kirthar National Park, Pakistan. The Sindh High Court has dismissed the legal challenge brought by local campaigners and Friends of the Earth International because the relevant wildlife laws were dramatically weakened while the case was being considered. But Pakistani environmentalists have questioned whether Premier Oil were behind the sudden legal amendment made by the Pakistani authorities, and they are now planning to take the case to the Supreme Court in Islamabad - the highest court in the land. (Friends of the Earth, 5 Oct. 2001)

Pakistan court rejects petition vs Premier Oil: A Pakistani court yesterday rejected a petition against a decision to award Britain's Premier Oil Plc a gas exploration licence in the country's largest national park, a court official said...It [the national park] has protected areas of great scenic beauty and ecological importance, as well as being home to the rare urial sheep, ibex and chinkara gazelle and around 20,000 tribal people...Premier has vowed to work within strict environmental guidelines, including using camels for transport where there are no existing tracks, and says its project will generate income and employment in an arid, poverty-stricken area. (Reuters, 5 Oct. 2001)

EEOC sues Ford over racism discipline: The [U.S.] Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against Ford Motor Co. Monday, accusing the company of failing to discipline a white male employee who allegedly told a fellow African American employee that "it was a good day for lynching."...Ford spokeswoman Anne Gattari said the company agreed in principle to settle the lawsuit on Friday and signed a consent decree. Previously, the company made an undisclosed financial settlement to Mazon, she said. Gattari said the company was surprised the EEOC filed the lawsuit. "We have agreed to give everybody in the plant more diversity training," Gattari said. (David Shepardson, Detroit News, 2 Oct. 2001)

EEOC and Eagle Global Logistics settle employment discrimination lawsuit with $9 million consent decree: Voluntary Agreement Resolves Allegations of Discrimination - The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Eagle Global Logistics f/k/a Eagle U.S.A. Airfreight, Inc., announced today that they have reached a $9,000,000 voluntary settlement...The settlement through a Consent Decree avoids protracted litigation by the EEOC on behalf of a class of African-Americans, Hispanics, and female employees and applicants who were allegedly subjected to race, gender, age, national origin discrimination, and harassment on the basis of sex and retaliation. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1 Oct. 2001)

GM bias lawsuit settled for $1.25 million - Automaker to adopt policies to fight discrimination: General Motors Corp. will pay $1.25 million to 16 workers at a Linden, N.J. [New Jersey], assembly plant to settle lawsuits charging the company with sexual and racial discrimination. The automaker also agreed Wednesday to new policies over the next two years that will make it easier for plant workers to report incidents of discrimination, while speeding the investigation of future discrimination claims. The Linden settlement represents the fourth major payout in three years by an automaker involving harassment lawsuits. In 1998, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. paid out $34 million to settle a harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of about 500 women at a Normal, Ill., assembly plant, and Ford reportedly agreed to a seven-figure settlement of a harassment lawsuit at a Chicago stamping plant. In 1999, a female worker at Chrysler's Jefferson North assembly plant won a $21-million lawsuit against the automaker for sexual harassment. Chrysler is appealing the decision. (Joe Miller, Detroit News, 27 Sep. 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] resolves lawsuits for $1.25 million against General Motors Corporation: The suits...alleged that GM had failed to provide Mary Scott a work environment free from sexual harassment and similarly failed to address incidents of racial harassment affecting her and other African- American employees. In addition, the EEOC charged that Melvin Wood was retaliated against when he supported Ms. Scott's complaints to management about discriminatory treatment...According to the settlement, GM will pay $1.25 million to Ms. Scott, Mr. Wood, and a group of 14 other African-American workers who had alleged they had been subjected to racial harassment on the job. GM also agreed to revise its procedures, to report the results of all investigations of complaints, and to continue to train all employees in positions of authority concerning worker rights and employer responsibilities under Title VII. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 26 Sep. 2001)

Woodstock company charged with 20 environmental offences in the town of Kearney [Ontario, Canada]: International Graphite Inc. has been charged with a total of 20 counts for failing to comply with a certificate of approval and failing to comply with a control order at the Kearney Graphite Mine (Canada NewsWire, 26 Sep. 2001)

Text of class action complaint against DynCorp in U.S. court [download]: "The claims in this action arise from the DynCorp Defendants' conduct in connection with the implementation of their contract with agencies of the U.S. government to exterminate, by use of fumigants sprayed from airplanes, plantations of cocaine and/or heroin poppies in large tracks of the Colombian rainforest owned by private citizens of Colombia. During the course of implementing this contract, Defendants also sprayed large sections of Ecuador that border with Colombia, and caused severe physical and mental damage to Plaintiffs, their children, and other similarly situated lawful residents of Ecuador who have nothing whatever to do with the production of illegal drugs in Colombia." (International Labor Rights Fund, 25 Sep. 2001)

Environment: Ecuadorians file U.S. suit over Plan Colombia - Ecuadorian Indians are taking legal action in federal court here, charging that a U.S. company that was contracted to carry out fumigation of illicit crops in neighboring Colombia recklessly sprayed their homes and farms, causing illnesses and deaths, and destroying crops. U.S.-based attorneys representing 10,000 individuals living in the Amazon rainforest near the border with Colombia filed a class action complaint against Virginia-based DynCorp Corporation in federal court here Sep. 11. A DynCorp spokesperson said the company has not been notified about the complaint and declined to comment further. (Inter Press Service, 21 Sep. 2001)

Hereros Claim Against Berlin: Lawyers representing the Chief Hosea Kutako Foundation [which claims a combined US $2 billion in reparations from Deutsche Bank and Woermann Line (now known as SAFmarine)] have temporarily withdrawn a legal claim for reparations against a German company but added another against the German government, 'The Namibian' said on Thursday. Lawyer Philip Musolino was quoted as saying the case against Terex Corporation had been temporarily dropped after the company claimed in court papers submitted recently that it was under different management at the time of the atrocities...The foundation, headed by Herero Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, has accused the German companies and the government of forming a "brutal alliance" to exterminate over 65,000 Hereros between 1904 and 1907. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 21 Sep. 2001)

China children sue factory over chemical leak: More than 400 elementary school children rushed to hospital after a chemical leak in April are suing a plastics factory in southeastern China, state media reported yesterday (Reuters, 21 Sep. 2001)

Dofasco shares fall 8 pct on environmental charges [Canada]: Shares in Dofasco Inc. closed down 8 percent yesterday after the Ontario Environment Ministry said the steel producer faced three charges related to a wash oil spill last year that may harm the quality of water in Hamilton Harbour near Toronto. (Reuters, 20 Sep. 2001)

ExxonMobil's Troubled Relationship in Aceh: Questions are being raised about ExxonMobil, the world's largest integrated oil company, retaining the Indonesian army and police forces for security. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 19 Sep. 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] files sex discrimination lawsuit against Morgan Stanley: Lawsuit Charges Brokerage House with Widespread Discrimination against Women (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 10 Sep. 2001)

A Tribal Struggle to Preserve What's Left of a Borneo Forest [Malaysia]: What once was rain forest owned by a local community has been destroyed in the name of development. Rumah Nor, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) southeast of Bintulu, site of the world's largest natural gas complex, is the scene in a land rights struggle in which Sarawak's indigenous people are fighting government and industrial powers. Lani, 33, was one of four plaintiffs in a legal battle that conservationists say has produced a major victory. His Iban tribal longhouse community of 70 families successfully sued to regain 672 hectares (1,660 acres) of land. The court decided the land had been illegally acquired by Borneo Pulp and Paper and the Sarawak state government, which turned forest into a huge acacia plantation. (Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, International Herald Tribune, 12 Sep. 2001)

Administration's Energy Connections Elicit Concerns [USA]: While the Bush administration reviews whether to pursue lawsuits against companies accused of violating the Clean Air Act, some of Bush's top officials working on the issue formerly worked for a law firm that lobbied on behalf of the very companies involved in the suit, the Washington Post reports. (Power Report: The Power Marketing Association Online, 12 Sep. 2001) 

Energy-Industry's Links to Regulators, Administration Worry Environmentalists [USA]: Is the Bush administration plotting to drop lawsuits against electricity generators accused of polluting the air in violation of the Clean Air Act? (James V. Grimaldi, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2001) 

Heating Up the Globe? See You in Court: Taking a cue from broad-based, class-action lawsuits like those filed on behalf of Holocaust survivors or against tobacco companies, a group of environmental lawyers is exploring novel legal strategies to adopt against global warming...The lawyers, representing groups like Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council, envision winning damages for people or whole countries that have suffered adverse effects of global warming. (Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, in International Herald Tribune, 7 Sep. 2001) 

Nations face pollution suits: Environmental groups are threatening to sue the governments of America, Britain and other countries accused of causing pollution, on behalf of millions of people affected by global warming. A consortium of lawyers representing organisations such as Greenpeace and America's World Wildlife Fund have discussed ways of holding governments and corporations to account for damage done to the planet by carbon dioxide and other emissions. (Ben Fenton, Daily Telegraph [UK], 7 Sep. 2001)

Hereros Sue German Firms for Reparations: The Herero community in Namibia has instituted a legal claim against three German companies for $2bn in reparations. The Hereros' Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako, who heads the Chief Hosea Kutako Foundation, said yesterday that the lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, Terex Corporation and Woermann Line (now known as SAFmarine) in Washington DC, US, would be followed by one against the German government. They accuse the three German companies of forming a "brutal alliance" with imperial Germany to exterminate more than 65000 Hereros between 1904 and 1907. (Business Day [Johannesburg], 6 Sep. 2001)

Pfizer suit adds to pressure on industry: The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 30 Nigerian families, alleges Pfizer violated their human rights when it set up a clinic to give Trovan, an experimental antibiotic, to 200 children during a meningitis epidemic that swept the north of the country in 1996. Lawsuits have already been filed in Nigeria, but last week, in a sign the company may face far greater damages, the first suit was filed in the US. The families say Pfizer did not obtain "informed consent" before administering the treatment. (Adrian Michaels and David Firn, Financial Times, 2 Sep. 2001) 

Coke Abuse in Colombia: Coca-Cola and its associates are responsible for “the systematic intimidation, kidnapping, detention and murder” of union members working at the company’s Colombia bottling plants, charges a labor coalition in a July lawsuit. (Charlie Cray, Multinational Monitor, Sep. 2001)

South Carolina company [Carolina Upgrading of South Carolina, Inc.], president plead guilty to violations in six states: ...the defendants admitted that they conspired and falsified more than 1,500 tests of underground storage tanks to gasoline stations and state and federal facilities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Federal law requires that underground storage tank owners periodically have their tanks inspected to test for leaks of petroleum or other products. Petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks can release benzene into groundwater, and benzene is a known cause of cancer. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Aug. 2001)

Mississippi company [Truck Trailer and Equipment, Inc.], employees charged with conspiracy: The indictment alleges that spent solvents and other wastes were dumped from truck cleaning activities into a wetland and a Pearl River tributary bordering its facility. It is further alleged that when ordered by public safety officials to stop the dumping, the defendants arranged to dump the caustic wastes into an outlying area in Rankin County. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Aug. 2001)

Louisiana towing companies plead guilty to polluting Mississippi: Three Baton Rouge tugboat service companies, McKinney Towing, Inc., McKinney Harbor Towing, Inc., and Slidell Towing, Inc., and the president of the companies, Glenn McKinney, pleaded guilty on Aug.17 to violating the Clean Water Act by pumping a mixture of oil and water into the Mississippi River...During a five year period, the defendants knowingly allowed their tugboats to discharge oily bilge water into the river several times a week. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Aug. 2001)

Mississippi company [Truck Trailer and Equipment, Inc.], employees charged with conspiracy: The indictment alleges that spent solvents and other wastes were dumped from truck cleaning activities into a wetland and a Pearl River tributary bordering its facility. It is further alleged that when ordered by public safety officials to stop the dumping, the defendants arranged to dump the caustic wastes into an outlying area in Rankin County. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Aug. 2001)

Louisiana towing companies plead guilty to polluting Mississippi: Three Baton Rouge tugboat service companies, McKinney Towing, Inc., McKinney Harbor Towing, Inc., and Slidell Towing, Inc., and the president of the companies, Glenn McKinney, pleaded guilty on Aug.17 to violating the Clean Water Act by pumping a mixture of oil and water into the Mississippi River...During a five year period, the defendants knowingly allowed their tugboats to discharge oily bilge water into the river several times a week. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 31 Aug. 2001)

Freeport to appeal Jakarta court ruling soon: Mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia said yesterday it would soon appeal an Indonesian court ruling which found it gave false information to parliament over a fatal accident at a mining site last year. (Reuters, 31 Aug. 2001) 

4 major oil firms settle MTBE cleanup suit: S.F. judge presses 4 others to reach similar agreements - Four of the nation's largest oil companies agreed in court yesterday to clean up MTBE contamination in California caused by leaking gasoline storage tanks or face contempt of court penalties. The settlement, which will cover approximately 700 contaminated sites owned by Chevron, Shell, Texaco and Unocal since 1994, was signed in San Francisco Superior Court and could result in an outlay of millions of dollars in company cleanup costs...Superior Court Judge Stuart Pollak, who approved the settlement yesterday, praised it as a "sensible, very imaginative solution to the problem." But four oil companies -- ARCO, Exxon, Mobil and Tosco -- declined to settle the suit, and Pollak strongly urged them to meet with the court mediator to reach a similar agreement. (William Carlsen, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Aug. 2001)

Federal Judge Rules EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] Suit Against Dial Soap Can Proceed As Class "Pattern or Practice" Case - Major Victory for Commission in Biggest Sexual Harassment Suit Since Mitsubishi: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released the decision of the federal court here holding that the agency's major class sexual harassment lawsuit against the maker of Dial soap will go ahead toward trial. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 16 Aug. 2001)

NAACP Pickets Adam's Mark Hotels As Part Of National Boycott [USA]: Action Spurred by Complaints of Discriminatory Practices Toward African Americans (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP], 11 Aug. 2001)

Xerox to pay penalty for unmonitored emissions: The Xerox Corporation has settled with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on charges that it failed to inspect vats of waste and monitor air emissions from containers and equipment at its facility in Webster, New York. The company has agreed to pay a penalty of $74,000, and will certify in writing that it is in compliance with all applicable regulations. (Anjuli Bose, Earth Times News Service, 9 Aug. 2001)

EEOC settles suit against Arizona company for $3.5 million on behalf of low-wage workers: Employees Subjected to Rampant Sexual Harassment, National Origin Bias and Retaliation - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a $3.5 million settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit against Quality Art LLC, a defunct picture frame manufacturer based in Gilbert, Ariz. The suit alleged that 35 female and Hispanic low-wage workers, mostly Mexican and Guatemalan, were subjected to widespread sexual harassment, national origin discrimination, and retaliation - including firing and forced resignations and reporting several employees to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for arrest and deportation after they complained about the discrimination. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 8 Aug. 2001)

Turkish Mines Operate Despite Court Rulings [high court overturns lower court ruling that had banned international gold mining giant Normandy from operating at Ovacik] (Jon Gorvett, Environment News Service, 2 Aug. 2001)

Sweden's "green crime" triples: Crimes against the environment in Sweden have tripled in the last three years, with scant response from police, public prosecutors said yesterday. (Reuters, 1 Aug. 2001) 

Fires spread haze over borders [Indonesia]:...Satellite imagery helped show that the 1997/8 fires were mostly located in the concessions of plantation and timber companies. But almost no action has been taken against them. Of five companies reported to the Attorney General for starting fires last year, only one company has been successfully processed, according to Environment Minister Sonny Keraf. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

Racism in the Workplace: In an increasingly multicultural U.S., harassment of minorities is on the rise (Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 30 July 2001)

Hotel Chain Sues NAACP Over Boycott: The Adam's Mark hotel chain sued the NAACP Friday, claiming the civil rights organization's call for a boycott was illegal. (Guardian [UK], 28 July 2001) 

Environmentalists sue to halt federal clean water violations by Pacific Lumber Co. in Northern California: Charging that Pacific Lumber Company is illegally dumping pollution and violating the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Information Center ("EPIC") filed a federal lawsuit today in the United States District Court to challenge logging operations in one of the most imperiled watersheds on California's North Coast. (Earthjustice and Environmental Protection Information Center, 25 July 2001)

13 Negri projects violate EIA [environmental impact assessment]: The state department of environment (DOE) has found that more than half of projects in Negri Sembilan which require environmental impact assessments have violated the EIA conditions.  The state DOE report for last year showed that of the 21 projects involved, 13 had failed to abide by the main conditions in the EIA. [Malaysia] (Hah Foong Lian, The Star [Malaysia], 16 July 2001)

EEOC settles suit against Salomon Smith Barney for race and national origin bias: African-American, Haitian, Nigerian, and West Indian Workers To Receive $635,000 - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a $635,000 settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit against Salomon Smith Barney (Salomon), a subsidiary of Citigroup and the nation's second largest retail brokerage firm. The suit, filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was brought by EEOC on behalf of 13 current or former employees of Salomon's Greenwich Street Data Center who were subjected to disparate treatment and harassment based on their race and/or national origin. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 16 July 2001)

$1.8 million consent decree ends EEOC federal employment discrimination suit in Rockford [Illinois, USA] against Ingersoll: Hundreds May Receive Compensation For Alleged Race And Sex Bias By Leading Area Employer - Federal District Court Judge Philip G. Reinhard today approved a $1.8 million Consent Decree resolving a major race and sex employment discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on behalf of blacks and women alleged to have been discriminated against by Ingersoll Milling Machine Company and its related companies. (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 13 July 2001)

Ryan alleges environmental violations at former Texaco refinery in Lockport: Allegations of groundwater contamination and open dumping are contained in a complaint filed today by Attorney General Jim Ryan and Will County State’s Attorney Jeff Tomczak against Texaco Refining & Marketing, Inc. which operated a refinery at 301 W. 2nd St., Lockport, for 71 years until it closed in 1981. [Illinois, USA] (office of Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, 12 July 2001)

Plantations to be charged with open burning: Eight oil palm plantations around Sibu, which defied the ban on open burning, will face prosecution in court. [Malaysia] (The Star [Malaysia], 12 July 2001)

Washington State/Alaska company sentenced in asbestos case: Great Pacific Seafood and Stiles pleaded guilty to having five of its employees directly or indirectly exposed to asbestos fibers without the proper training, equipment or protective clothing. The hazardous nature of abatement was never disclosed to two of the employees. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 12 July 2001)

Pollution on the rise in Hyderabad: More than 80 per cent diseases people suffer in the state are due water borne diseases, according to Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests, V P Jauhari....In spite of more than 200 laws on it, the environment is being destroyed, Mehta [Supreme Court advocate and environmental activist M C Mehta] said adding that when a case is filed against an industry, there was powerful lobbying for the industry but no lobbying for the environment. (Times of India, 7 July 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] files lawsuit against Emery Worldwide Airlines for discrimination against African-American employees: Alleges Persistent, Facility-wide Racial Harassment, Biased Treatment and Retaliation (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 3 July 2001) 

ExxonMobil sued for MTBE spill in Long Island, NY: One of the largest suppliers of drinking water on Long Island sued Exxon Mobil Corp. last week for water contamination by a gasoline additive that was first used to help the environment. (Soo Youn, Reuters, 2 July 2001)

EEOC settles racial harassment suit with St. Louis nursing home for $1.2 million: At a press conference today, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a settlement of almost $1.2 million for nine individuals in a racial harassment lawsuit against Beverly Enterprises, Inc., which operates several nursing homes in the St. Louis area. The settlement, which still requires approval of the federal district court here, also requires substantial injunctive relief, including training, monitoring, and disciplinary action against a Beverly human resources employee.  (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2 July 2001) 

Deadly Drilling in Aceh [lawsuit against ExxonMobil for the company's alleged conduct in Aceh, Indonesia] (Robert Weissman, Multinational Monitor, July/August 2001)

Enforcing international humanitarian law: Catching the accomplices - Literally within days of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the end of the Rome Conference in July 1998 the Financial Times...published an article warning "commercial lawyers" that the treaty's accomplice liability provision "could create international criminal liability for employees, officers and directors of corporations"...The Financial Times was therefore quite right to warn business executives that a new world was dawning with the adoption of the Rome Statute. (William A. Schabas, Professor of Human Rights Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, in International Review of the Red Cross No.42, 29 June 2001)

EPA [Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana] Prosecutes Pollutionist: The Kumasi Circuit Tribunal chaired by Mr. Ernesty Obimpeh has dismissed a plea of no case presented to it by the Nnuro Kente, a private manufacturing firm which produces kente yarns.  Nnuro Kente is allegedly discharging its effluents into the river, thus destroying all life forms in and around it. (Accra Mail [Ghana], 27 June 2001)

Pollution site victims fight for compensation [USA] (Alan Elsner, Reuters, 26 June 2001) 

comments by ExxonMobil: Statement Regarding NGO Human Rights Lawsuit [regarding the company's alleged conduct in Aceh, Indonesia] (ExxonMobil, 25 June 2001)

Federal judge halts oil, gas exploration off Calif: A Federal judge on Friday halted all oil and natural gas exploration off the central California coast, a blow to oil companies which hoped to ramp up new offshore oil drilling operations after years of legal wrangling (Reuters, 25 June 2001) 

Pollution victims agree to take payout: Plaintiffs in a 12-year court battle over air pollution from factory smoke [including from factories of electric power company, steel companies, chemical companies, gas company] in Nagoya have agreed to a settlement totaling 1.52 billion yen, sources close to the case said Friday (Japan Times, 16 June 2001)

Lagos state threatens to sue Nigeria's NNPC: The Lagos state government has threatened to sue the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over alleged environmental damage caused by an oil fire at one of its facilities, officials said on Friday (Reuters, 11 June 2001) 

First Global Dimensions Seminar: Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility (New York, 1 June 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] settles bias suit for $2.6 million against TWA: Class of Female Workers Subjected to Sexual Harassment and Retaliation at Kennedy Airport (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 24 May 2001)

Exxon Mobil to appeal $1 bln Louisiana radiation fine (Timothy Gardner, Reuters, 24 May 2001) 

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] sues two Indiana employers for race harassment (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 22 May 2001)

Trial date set, as Cape [British asbestos company Cape PLC] hints at settlement (ACTSA [Action for South Africa], 22 May 2001)

Victims face uphill battle in court: This last of the three-part series on lead contamination of Klity creek looks at the legal question [Thailand] (Anchalee Kongrut, Bangkok Post, 14 May 2001)

Cape [British asbestos company Cape PLC] shamed at AGM [annual general meeting] (ACTSA [Action for South Africa], 10 May 2001)

Apartheid's Killer Legacy [regarding the conduct of British asbestos company Cape PLC in South Africa] (ACTSA [Action for South Africa], Apr. 2001)

Anti-IBM Suit [alleging the company aided Nazi Germany] Will Be Dropped (International Herald Tribune, 30 Mar. 2001)

Arbitration Law Upheld by Divided Supreme Court [USA] (Reuters, 21 Mar. 2001)

Court: Employers can require workers to forfeit right to sue [USA] (Margaret Steen, SiliconValley.com, 21 Mar. 2001)

Towards a common understanding of business complicity in human rights abuses: Background paper for the Global Compact dialogue on The role of the private sector in zones of conflict (Andrew Clapham and Scott Jerbi, 12 Mar. 2001)

Beyond voluntarism: Developing international legal accountability for companies in relation to human rights (David Petrasek, International Council on Human Rights Policy, March 2001)

Governing Multinationals: The Role of Foreign Direct Liability (Halina Ward, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Feb. 2001)

Suits put spotlight on workplace diversity [USA] (USA Today, 9 Jan. 2001)

Mercedes Benz: Industry and Human Rights -...During the Argentinian dictatorship at least 13 members of the union Internal Commission at Mercedes Benz disappeared...While the criminal prosecution was not allowed in Germany against Daimler Chrysler, German justice did allow proceedings against the company branch in González Catán and the current director of the firm, Tasselkraut...In November 2000 Juan Carlos Capurro, lawyer for the Legal Action Committee of the Argentinian workers’ union CTA (Central de Trabajadores Argentinos), lodged the Mercedes case with the Secretariat of Human Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Gaby Weber, Le Monde Diplomatique, Southern Cone edition, Dec. 2000)

Noose harassment: a growth trend worth reversing [USA] [refers to lawsuits against Home Depot and Georgia Power Company for racial harassment of employees, including display of hangman's noose] (Robert Trigaux, St. Petersburg Times [USA], 19 Nov. 2000)

Alien Tort Claims Act Provides a Legal Forum for the World (Elizabeth Amon, National Law Journal, 19 Oct. 2000)

The effectiveness of US litigation against MNCs in Burma (H. Knox Thomas, Human Rights Defender, Sep. 2000)

Is a 200-Year-Old Pirate Law The Next Wave in Tort Suits?  Lawyers Find Way to Bring Claims By Foreign Workers Into U.S. Courts (M. Bowden, Lawyers Weekly USA) 

Transnational Litigation 'Joining Up' Corporate Responsibility? (Halina Ward, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Oct. 2000)

The "Lawsuit Abuse" Scam (Robert Weissman, Multinational Monitor, Sep. 2000)

Choking Off the Right to Sue: GAF's Campaign to Restrict Asbestos Victims' Rights (Charlie Cray, Multinational Monitor, Sep. 2000)

'Foreign Direct Liability': A New Weapon in the Performance Armory? (Halina Ward, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Sep. 2000)

Applying International Law to Multinational Corporations (Saman Zia-Zarifi, Corporate Watch magazine, summer 2000)

Controlling Corporate Wrongs: The Liability of Multinational Corporations - Legal possibilities, initiatives and strategies for civil society (IRENE, report of the international seminar on corporate liability at University of Warwick, Mar. 2000)

Liability of Multinational Corporations under International Law, edited by Menno T. Kamming and Saman Zia-Zarifi [summary] (abstract of book by the publisher, Kluwer Law International, 2000)

Racial Insults at the Workplace: Free Speech or Illegal Harassment? [discussing lawsuit against Avis-Rent-a-Car for racial harassment of Latino employees by their manager]? (Margaret Crosby, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, ACLU News, Sep./Oct. 1999)

New race-bias issue: the workplace climate - Case of black airline mechanic in Los Angeles follows lead of sex-harassment law. Following in the legal footsteps left by sexual-harassment cases, a new kind of lawsuit is emerging to combat racial prejudice on the job. As of yet, racial-harassment suits - which focus on workplace climate - are a tiny part of the overall caseload. But they are growing in number and are giving minorities a new recourse that some experts say will help eradicate more overt forms of racism. (Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 1999)

Thailand plans lawsuit against Israel for exploiting its foreign workers (Yossi Bar-Moha, Ha'aretz, 19 July 1999)

Don't get sued for racial discrimination (Phillip Perry, 1998)

New Peril for Companies Doing Business Overseas: Alien Tort Claims Act Interpreted Broadly (Joseph Pizzurro and Nancy Delaney, New York Law Journal, 24 Nov. 1997)

Oil company investors at risk over international practices (Innovest Strategic Value Advisors)