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

1 July 2002 to present:

2003:

EU assembly tells polluters to pay debts to nature - The European Parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would force companies to pay to clean up the mess they create in nature. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 14 May 2003)

OIL POLLUTION: IMO Seeks To Set Up New Compensation Fund - International Maritime Organization Secretary General William O'Neil yesterday called for ensuring that those affected by oil pollution around the world are fairly compensated for damages. (UN Wire, 13 May 2003)

Union wins Wal-Mart fight [Canada] - B.C.'s [British Columbia's] Labour Relations Board has ruled Wal-Mart violated the rights of workers at its Quesnel store by interfering with efforts to unionize the store. (CBC News British Columbia, 12 May 2003)

Firm heavily fined over roadworker's death [UK] - A6 accident was French-owned company's third fatality - Road contractor Lafarge was fined £175,000 on Wednesday after a worker was killed when hit by two cars on the A6 at Wilstead. (Bedford Today, 10 May 2003)

Company Accused of Threatening Workers [USA] -...The two men complained to the labor board [National Labor Relations Board], which last week lodged charges against their company, Consolidated Bus, accusing it of illegally spying on the men and threatening to assault them. The labor board said the company had illegally retaliated against Mr. Fleurimont and Mr. Guzman for trying to exercise their rights as union members in ways that displeased the company and their union, Teamsters Local 854. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 9 May 2003)

Suit Says ChevronTexaco Dumped Poisons in Ecuador - A group of American lawyers representing more than 30,000 indigenous people in Ecuador filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the ChevronTexaco Corporation yesterday. The suit was filed in Ecuador on behalf of 88 plaintiffs in Lago Agrio, a small oil town in northern Ecuador, and asserts that during two decades of operation, from 1971 to 1992, ChevronTexaco dumped over four million gallons a day of toxic wastewater, contaminated with oil, heavy metals and carcinogens into open pits, estuaries and rivers. It also says the company left behind nearly 350 open waste pits that killed people and animals. (Abby Ellin, New York Times, 8 May 2003) 

• Ecuadorean Indians sue Texaco -...They are also alleging the company's activities have led to an increased risk of cancer among the local population. ChevronTexaco rejects the allegations and says the company met all its obligations under Ecuadorean law. (BBC News, 8 May 2003)

• U.S. lawyers take US$1 billion lawsuit against ChevronTexaco to Ecuador - A decade after unsuccessfully filing in U.S. courts, American lawyers representing poor Ecuadoreans who say their rainforest homeland was destroyed by a U.S oil company took their claim to Ecuador Tuesday. (Gonzalo Solano, Associated Press, 7 May 2003)

• Case in Ecuador Viewed As Key Pollution Fight - U.S. Legal Team Suing ChevronTexaco - Legal experts say it could be a groundbreaking case, establishing a new way for environmental activists to force multinational corporations to pay for what activists say is environmental devastation. (Brooke A. Masters, Washington Post, 6 May 2003)

S. African gold firm faces $7 billion suit - Workers at South Africa's second-largest gold mining company [Gold Fields] were tortured, enslaved and poisoned with uranium, according to a $7.4-billion lawsuit filed late on Tuesday in a New York court...In the suit, Mtwesi alleged he and others were "tortured, enslaved, subjected to unfair and discriminatory Slave or Forced Labor practices (and) exposed to toxic and dangerous chemicals, fumes, substances and radioactive materials." (Jeanne King, Reuters, 7 May 2003)

• Archbishop steps into mining case [South Africa] - In a strange twist mining company Gold Fields yesterday confirmed it had been approached to meet Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane to try to resolve the claims brought against it for alleged prejudice during the apartheid years. The archbishop was said to be approaching all the mining companies named in the apartheid suits, which have total possible claims of $15 billion against them, to try to resolve the matter before it reached the courts. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report, 7 May 2003)

• Workers file $7bn uranium lawsuit - South African mining group Gold Fields faces a $7bn (£4.4bn) legal challenge [in a New York court] from former workers, who claim they were contaminated by uranium and have now fallen ill. (BBC News, 5 May 2003)

• Gold Fields faces uranium exposure lawsuit -...Gold Fields said - just as AngloAmerican did last month - that it did not recognise the jurisdiction of the US courts...Under the US Alien Tort Claims Act, foreign citizens can file claims regarding human rights abuses against companies that do business in the US. (Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 5 May 2003)

• Gold Fields, the second-largest gold producer in South Africa, will vigorously defend a lawsuit brought against to it by the company's former employees, said company officials on Monday. (South African Press Association, 5 May 2003)

Gold Fields faces $7bn uranium exposure suit - Lawyers acting on behalf of more than 500 former employees of Gold Fields, South Africa's second largest gold producer, will file a suit on Monday in New York seeking damages of up to $7bn. (Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 4 May 2003)

• Gold Fields is facing lawsuit for subhuman' working conditions - The apartheid claims task force says it will file a lawsuit for billions of dollars in New York against SA [South African] gold mining company Gold Fields for making blacks work under "subhuman" conditions. (Business Day [South Africa], 2 May 2003)

• Class action suit filed against Gold Fields (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2 May 2003)

• Gold Fields dismisses lawsuit threats - Bullion producer Gold Fields Ltd said on Friday it would "strenuously defend" itself against a threatened lawsuit seeking damages of up to $7-billion for workers who say they were unfairly treated. (Hilary Gush, Reuters, 2 May 2003) 

Dial settles sex harassment suit [USA] - Lawsuit was among the largest brought by the EEOC since 1994 Mitsubishi settlement - Dial Corp. Tuesday settled a sex harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of 91 female workers at the household products maker's Montgomery, Ill., soap-making plant (Reuters, 29 Apr. 2003)

• Dial OKs $10M Deal in Harassment Case [USA] - Dial Corp. agreed Tuesday to pay $10 million to settle a federal civil suit charging that its female workers were groped, forced to see pornography and called names at a soap-making plant near Chicago. (Mike Robinson, Associated Press, 29 Apr. 2003)

Sex discrimination cited at Wal-Mart [USA] - Women accuse Wal-Mart - Lawyers seek OK for class-action suit - Lawyers suing Wal-Mart for sex discrimination in pay and promotions made their case Monday for a nationwide class action on behalf of 1.5 million women (Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Apr. 2003)

• Suit: Women demeaned at Wal-Mart [USA] - Plantiffs say accusations of sexual harassment could be largest discrimination case ever - Women employees of Wal-Mart were taken to strip clubs on business trips, demeaned as "little Janie Qs" by senior managers, paid less than men for the same jobs, and denied promotions, plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the world's largest retailer claimed. (Reuters, 29 Apr. 2003)

Judge OKs MetLife discrimination settlement [USA] - A federal judge has approved a settlement of a lawsuit that accused Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. of discriminating against blacks and other minorities in the selling of policies. (AP, 29 Apr. 2003)

Court OKs sex discrimination case against Boeing's plant Wichita [USA] -...Twelve women filed lawsuits on April 15, charging that women at Boeing's Wichita plant were denied equal pay, promotions and other employment opportunities based solely on their gender. Their lawsuits also claimed sexual harassment. (Associated Press, 28 Apr. 2003)

Discrimination suit against Supervalu cleared for trial [USA] - Scratched out on a hotel memo pad, the notes referring to a restructuring plan at Supervalu Inc. included a harsh description of the purpose: "This is how we stay legal to eliminate the old people from the system and wipe the slate clean." (Julie Forster, Star Tribune, 28 Apr. 2003)

Occidental Sued in Human Rights Case - The oil firm, accused of aiding a deadly military assault in Colombia, joins list of U.S. firms charged in overseas incidents. - The list of corporations sued in American courts for their alleged involvement in human rights violations in foreign countries grew longer Thursday, when Occidental Petroleum Corp. was accused of aiding a deadly military assault on a Colombian village. (Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2003)

Levi Opts Out of Sweatshop Settlement - Levi Strauss & Co. has opted out of a $20-million settlement approved this week to compensate garment workers on the Pacific island of Saipan..."The allegations against Levi Strauss and company are not true," said company spokesman Jeff Beckman. (Reuters, 25 Apr. 2003)

Human rights groups sue Occidental over 1998 Colombia bombing - International human rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Occidental Petroleum and one of its security contractors over a 1998 bombing that killed 17 civilians in a Colombian village...The lawsuit names Los Angeles-based Occidental and Rockledge, Fla.-based Airscan Inc., an aviation security firm, as defendants and accuses the companies of aiding the raid with the Colombian military. (Paul Chavez, Associated Press, 24 Apr. 2003)

• Lawsuit Filed Against Occidental Petroleum for Involvement in Infamous Colombian Massacre (International Labor Rights Fund, 24 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Demanda Presentada Contra Occidental Petroleum p or su Involucración en la Masacre de Santo Domingo en Colombia (International Labor Rights Fund, 24 abril 2003)

• Occidental Issues Statement Regarding Santo Domingo, Colombia Lawsuit -...While we have not had an opportunity to study the complaint, we believe that any suggestion that Occidental Petroleum was responsible in any way for the Santo Domingo tragedy resulting from military action involving Colombian armed forces and elements of the terrorist group known by its Spanish acronym, FARC, is completely false. Occidental has not and does not provide lethal aid to Colombia's armed forces. (Occidental Petroleum, 24 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Occidental Petroleum y Airscan podrían estar vinculadas a masacre de Tame - Dos grupos de abogados presentaron hoy una demanda contra Occidental Petroleum y la empresa de seguridad Airscan por su presunta colaboración en la masacre de 17 personas en Santo Domingo, Arauca, el 13 de diciembre de 1998. La demanda fue presentada ante un tribunal del distrito central de California (El Espectador [Colombia], 25 abril 2003)

• {···español} Demandan a Oxy por masacre en Colombia - Un ciudadano colombiano demandó ayer a la compañía petrolera Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) por su presunta implicación en el asesinato de civiles inocentes en el poblado colombiano de Santo Domingo en 1998, informaron sus abogados. La querella fue presentada por organizaciones de derechos internacionales ante la corte de distrito de Los Angeles (AFP, El Heraldo [Colombia], 25 abril 2003)

•  Occidental Petroleum and Florida firm sued over Colombia bombing (AP, 24 Apr. 2003)

Rural Slavery Tough to Root Out [Brazil] - An estimated 25,000 men, women and children continue to work today as slave labourers in rural Brazil, despite persistent complaints by human rights organisations and promises by the new government to eradicate the practice over the next four years. But slave labour, in the form of debt bondage, is not exclusively employed by Brazilian plantation owners, as shown by the Senor estate in the northern state of Maranhao, which is owned by a Belgian company, and was holding more than 200 workers in slavery conditions...The Belgian company that owned the Senor estate was prosecuted and forced to pay back wages to its 200 workers. (Mario Osava, Inter Press Service, 23 Apr. 2003)

26 sue turf club [Malaysia] - Twenty-six former Penang Turf Club workers are suing the club for alleged wrongful dismissal...They also claimed that their dismissal was prompted by their active involvement in the formation of the Penang Turf Club Race Day Workers' Union. (The Star [Malaysia], 22 Apr. 2003)

Nike defends claims of sweatshop labour and false advertising -...the United States Supreme Court is about to hear a landmark case about whether Nike's defence of labour conditions in its factories represents false advertising. Nike is asking the Supreme Court to protect free speech by giving companies immunity from laws against false advertising...Nike's critics say false claims made in a speech is just as misleading to consumers as a claim made in a paid commercial. (AM, ABC Local Radio [Australia], 21 Apr. 2003)

Supreme Court to Decide Age Discrimination Case [USA] - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether a federal law barring age bias in the workplace allows for reverse discrimination lawsuits by employees in their 40s who claim older workers are better treated.  The high court agreed to hear an appeal by a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp. arguing the law does not allow for such lawsuits. (James Vicini, Reuters, 21 Apr. 2003)

• High Court Accepts Age Case Bias favoring older workers is alleged [USA] (Newsday, 22 Apr. 2003)

Investors barrack Rio Tinto bosses -...Rio Tinto was barracked by small shareholders and special interest groups at an annual meeting that marked a bad-tempered send-off for chairman Sir Robert...The mining group was attacked over pension issues, alleged safety problems in Utah and for not making provisions for a number of legal cases being taken out against it..."The [UK] government must change company law to ensure the directors of irresponsible companies like Rio Tinto are made fully liable and accountable for their destructive impact overseas," said Friends of the Earth campaigner Ed Matthew. (Terry Macalister, Guardian [UK], 18 Apr. 2003)

• Rio Tinto exposed for mining impacts in Indonesia - Rio Tinto, the world's biggest mining company, will come under attack at its annual general meeting today for human rights abuses and environmental destruction linked to its operations in Indonesia. The allegations are outlined in a new report from Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI), "Undermining Indonesia", launched today, which investigates the impacts of four of Rio Tinto's most controversial mining operations. (Friends of the Earth, 17 Apr. 2003)

New Haven Man Serves Restaurant With Discrimination Suit [USA] - Man Claims Weight Is Reason He Was Not Hired - A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against McDonald's, filed by a New Haven man who claims he was not hired because of his weight. (NBC30, 17 Apr. 2003)

Human rights, salary at issue for Coca-Cola - Coca-Cola should...use its influence in Colombia to encourage greater protections of human rights. These were just a few of the more controversial proposals members of the Atlanta company's board of directors fielded from some of the 400 shareholders gathered here Wednesday for Coke's annual meeting...Perhaps the most controversial proposal concerned allegations that the company's plant managers used paramilitary groups to intimidate and kill eight union organizers at a bottling plant in Barrancabermeja, Colombia...Coke denies that it is in any way responsible...Richard Shaw of the AFL-CIO implored the company to take a more active role in helping protect the union organizers. Deval Partrick, Coke's general counsel, said the company has gone as far as providing security for Colombian individuals being threatened. (David Kaplan, Houston Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2003)

Coca-Cola karma: irony in advertising? -...Today, the Coca-Cola Company is holding its annual shareholders’ meeting. One participant will be William Mendoza...the President of the National Food Industry Workers’ Union in his hometown of Barrancabermeja...Paramilitary groups have killed seven employees of Coca-Cola bottlers – all union members – in Colombia since 1990. Mendoza claims that he is among 65 union members who have received death threats from paramilitary groups. (Rick Stern, Montana Kaimin [USA], 16 Apr. 2003)

S.Africa Plans Payment to Apartheid Victims - South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday his government would make a one-time payment of $3,890 each to more than 19,000 victims of apartheid identified by the country's truth commission.  But Mbeki said the government would not follow a recommendation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to levy a wealth tax on South African business to help pay for reparations...He also signaled the government's opposition to a slew of class-action lawsuits filed in U.S. courts by lawyers acting on behalf of apartheid victims seeking billions of dollars in compensation from foreign and South African corporations accused of propping up or benefiting from nearly half a century of white-minority rule. (Gershwin Wanneburg, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2003)

• Mbeki opposes corporate apartheid lawsuits - South Africa President Thabo Mbeki says the government has not been and will not be party to litigation [in U.S. courts] against corporations that benefited from the apartheid system. (Donwald Pressly, Business Day [South Africa], 15 Apr. 2003)

• Pressure On Mbeki to Lift Burden On Business [South Africa] - President Thabo Mbeki is due to give government's official position today on the issue of reparations for victims of apartheid, amid growing corporate and investor unease about the mounting hidden costs of investing in SA. (Julie Bain, Rob Rose And Xolani Xundu, Business Day [South Africa], 15 Apr. 2003)

{···français} Apartheid: des firmes sommées de réparer - Des plaignants sud-africains réclament des milliards de dollars ( Sabine Cessou, Libération, 12 avril 2003)

New DynCorp Contract Draws Scrutiny -...Insight has learned that the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has issued a $22 million contract to DynCorp Aerospace Operations (UK) Ltd., a subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), to "re-establish police, justice and prison functions in postconflict Iraq."...last year alone [Dyncorp] was not only sued but paid large settlements to two former employees who blew the whistle on corporate managers and employees who engaged in sex trafficking in Bosnia (Kelly Patricia O Meara, Insight, 11 Apr. 2003)

EPA to investigate claim that DuPont withheld study of Teflon-related chemical [USA] - An environmental advocacy group asked the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday to investigate whether chemical maker DuPont Co. withheld an internal study that showed health risks from an unregulated chemical used to make Teflon. (John Heilprin, Associated Press, 11 Apr. 2003)

Court says Granite City Steel broke labor laws [USA] -...The ruling won't ban the hidden cameras, but it will force National Steel Corp., which owns the Granite City plant, to talk about them when negotiating contracts with the 10 unions representing plant workers. (Michael Shaw, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11 Apr. 2003)

Partial victory for Coca-Cola workers -...On March 31, US District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ruled that a group of Colombian plaintiffs can move forward with cases brought under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) for human rights violations committed by paramilitaries in Colombia on behalf of two Colombian Coca-Cola bottling companies: Panamco and Bebidas y Alimentos. (New Colombia News Agency, 10 Apr. 2003)

Decision on appeal on Friday [Malaysia] - The Court of Appeal will decide on Friday an appeal by a former company operations director against a High Court decision quashing an Industrial Court order in her favour for constructive dismissal after alleged sexual harassment by the company's managing director. (New Straits Times, 9 Apr. 2003)

Nike: Free Speech or "False Promises"? - On Apr. 23, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear charges that Nike committed consumer fraud by making false statements about the labor conditions in its overseas factories. (Aaron Bernstein, Business Week, 9 Apr. 2003)

Ex-Railroad Workers File Asbestos Lawsuits [USA] - The papers describe five men who faced the end of their lives with bodies ridden with cancer. They had difficulty breathing because of damaged lungs, some developed dementia, and others were in constant pain from damaged nervous systems. Now four survivors face a similar future. Nine lawsuits filed Tuesday in 3rd District Court allege that Union Pacific Railroad Company is to blame. (Rhina Guidos, Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Apr. 2003)

Corporations as Good Global Citizens - Governments have to encourage better corporate behavior at home and abroad -...Some of the world's most prominent firms have been sued in American, Australian, Canadian, Belgian, and British courts for allegedly aiding and abetting human rights violations by governments of developing countries. Other stakeholders have used proxy fights, consumer boycotts, or public pressure to ensure that multinationals adopt corporate social responsibility strategies...Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Canada are doing the most to promote global corporate social responsibility. [refers to UK and Netherlands governments promoting OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; refers to Canada's standards for ethical procurement by the government] (Susan Ariel Aaronson & James Reeves, Global CSR Policies Project at Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Kenan Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, in YaleGlobal, 8 Apr. 2003)

Trial Begins in Bias Suit by Deaf U.P.S. Workers [USA] - Lawyers for 900 deaf workers at United Parcel Service argued today as a trial in their discrimination lawsuit opened that the company had excluded them from numerous job categories and generally limited them to bottom-rung positions. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2003)

2 Companies Said to Agree to Settle Suits on Emissions [USA] - Alcoa and Archer Daniels Midland have agreed to settle federal air pollution complaints by upgrading smelters and other factories at a cost the government estimates at $700 million (Jennifer Lee, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2003)

• EPA, Cos. Settle Clean Air Violations [USA] - The New York Times reported on its Web site Tuesday night that the agreement has been reached with Alcoa and Archer Daniels Midland. The EPA would not confirm the identities of the companies due to a confidentiality agreement. (Associated Press, 8 Apr. 2003)

Domini files amicus brief with Supreme Court in Nike v. Kasky - Socially Responsible Investors Argue that Nike’s Position Threatens Securities Regulation - Domini Social Investments LLC today announced that it has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that supports San Francisco activist Marc Kasky in his effort to hold Nike accountable for its statements concerning the company’s use of sweatshop labor. (Domini Social Investments, 7 Apr. 2003)

US firm faces $1bn claim for complicity [South Africa] - Fluor, the biggest US publicly traded engineering and construction company, faces a $1 billion claim by black former workers who allege they were discriminated against under apartheid. Anglo American, the world's second-biggest mining company, and diamond producer De Beers also face a lawsuit by former employees who say they were enslaved, beaten and tortured under apartheid. Lawyer Ed Fagan said a lawsuit would be filed today in California federal courts. The suit will argue that Fluor paid blacks less than whites and that the company helped repress workers during a 1987 strike in which two were killed. (Jonathan Rosenthal and Antony Sguazzin, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo stock hit by class action suit [South Africa] - Shares in Anglo American and Sasol fell sharply on Friday after it was disclosed that US lawyer Ed Fagan and local representative John Ngcebethsa were planning to file a class action suit for damages against Anglo and Fluor, a US company that worked with Sasol, for their role in human rights abuses during apartheid. (Max Gebhardt, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Lawsuits Force Anglo, Sasol Shares Lower [South Africa] - Government does not back the multibillion-dollar lawsuits [in U.S. courts] for apartheid reparations being brought against SA corporate giants, but will also not intervene to stop them, says Justice Minister Penuell Maduna. (Rob Rose & Julie Bain, Business Day [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo case to start in New York - The apartheid reparations class action lawsuit, which includes commodity giant Anglo American (Anglo) as a respondent, is set to start May 19 in a New York court...Anglo, along with the world's largest diamond miner De Beers which is 45% held by Anglo, faces a $3.1 to $6.1bn apartheid lawsuit...US construction and engineering group US Fluor Corporation is also facing a claim of between $900m and $1.4bn. (Justin Brown, News24.com [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)

• Sasol slumps on apartheid claim [South Africa] (AFP, 7 Apr. 2003)

• Ed Fagan, SA lawyers take aim at Fluor [South Africa] (South African Press Association, in Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 6 Apr. 2003)

• Diamond industry hit by £3bn suit - The maverick lawyer who forced Swiss banks to pay out huge reparations to Holocaust victims yesterday took on the diamond industry, demanding billions of dollars be paid to South African workers "exploited" during the apartheid era. (Fred Bridgland, The Scotsman, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Ed Fagan meets local lawyers and claimants [South Africa] - Local lawyers and US class action lawyer Ed Fagan have announced in Johannesburg that they would be suing US company, Fluor International, for more than $700 million in damages for discriminatory wages paid to the company's employees in South Africa in the 70s and 80s. (SAPA, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Lawyers say to file apartheid suit against Fluor (Reuters, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Anglo Rejects $6bn Reparations Claim [South Africa] - Anglo American has swept aside pressure from a US lawyer that it must provide between $3 and $6 billion in reparations for apartheid-related damages. The group claims that questions of reparations to individuals is a matter for South Africa and its courts, if necessary. In a strongly worded statement issued on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Friday, the UK-listed mining group said it had already made "extensive contributions" to reconciliation and reconstruction in South Africa. (David Mckay, Mineweb [South Africa], 4 Apr. 2003)

Director arrested for Brazilian disaster - Brazilian authorities Monday arrested an administrative director of the paper and pulp company [Felix Santana of the Cataguases Paper and Pulp Co.] blamed for a recent chemical spill, considered by some to be the worst environmental catastrophe in the country's history. (Carmen Gentile, UPI, 7 Apr. 2003)

Blacks join to dump harmful waste sites [USA] - They say a form of 'racism' puts facilities that process hazardous materials in their communities. -...Like Baker, citizens in many poor, black communities around Alabama and the South in recent years have fought companies that have located pollution-spewing industrial plants, hazardous landfills and waste incinerators near homes and schools. Known as "environmental racism," the practice of locating such toxic operations near politically powerless blacks has been stymied by emerging citizen groups. [refers to lawsuits against chemical plant in Anniston, Alabama - defendants were Monsanto, Solutia, Pharmacia; also refers to Waste Management Inc, Shintech Inc] (Dave Bryan, Associated Press, 6 Apr. 2003)

Pratt & Whitney faces tumor lawsuit [USA] - A lawsuit will be filed against Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and its parent, United Technologies Corp., alleging the companies were responsible for the death or disability of employees due to brain tumors. (Ann DeMatteo, New Haven Register, 5 Apr. 2003)

• Cancer Lawsuit Targets Pratt - Workers Exposed To Toxic Chemicals, Litigation Contends [USA] - More than 70 former Pratt & Whitney employees or their survivors are suing the jet-engine maker for exposures to toxic chemicals and other substances that they say caused cancer, and in many cases, death. (John M. Moran, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2003)

Congress plans to aid gun makers [USA] -...Congressional Republicans have renewed their efforts to pass a bill that will grant gun companies immunity from prosecution in the courts...The legislation seeks to prevent victims of handgun violence from suing gun makers for not adding safety features to guns and for making their distribution too easy. (Steve Schifferes, BBC News, 4 Apr. 2003)

Apartheid suit hits shares in Anglo American - Shares in dual-listed mining group Anglo American fell in London and Johannesburg on Friday as news broke of a lawsuit brought against the company on behalf of victims of the apartheid regime. (Rebecca Bream & Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 4 Apr. 2003)

Jury rules Solutia owes $3.6M to Alabama plaintiffs [USA] - Solutia must pay more than $3.6 million to six people whose property was damaged by Solutia's production of PCBs, an Alabama jury ruled Friday...More than a year ago, the jury found Solutia, then Monsanto, liable for knowingly contaminating Alabama homes and bodies with PCBs, known carcinogens. More than 3,500 residents of Anniston had sued both companies. (St. Louis Business Journal, 4 Apr. 2003)

• Jury Awards $3.6 Million in Solutia Case [USA] -...The company's stock has been plummeting. (Associated Press, 4 Apr. 2003)

NY sues Dow unit over pesticide advertising [USA] - New York's state attorney this week said he plans to sue a unit of of Dow Chemical Co. for allegedly breaching a 1994 agreement against false advertising of a pesticide. (Reuters, 4 Apr. 2003)

Sex bias ruling set to shake up bonuses [UK] - City employers were yesterday warned not to use "opaque" bonus schemes to circumvent equal pay rules as Louise Barton, the former top-ranking media analyst, won her appeal in a discrimination claim against Investec Henderson Crosthwaite. (Nikki Tait, Financial Times, 4 Apr. 2003)

• Sex discrimination case could spell the end for City's secretive pay structure [UK] - A chill must have swept through many a City boardroom yesterday after Louise Barton won her appeal in a high-profile sex discrimination case. The case has shone a spotlight on the secretive pay structures of investment banks, which are known for paying large discretionary bonuses. (Lina Saigol, Financial Times, 4 Apr. 2003)

Suing over climate change - The debate over global warming is gaining a new dimension: litigation. The vast numbers affected by the effects of climate change, such as flooding, drought and forest fires, mean that potentially people, organisations and even countries could be seeking compensation for the damage caused. (BBC News, 3 Apr. 2003)

Colonial Pipeline to pay $34 mln for oil spills [USA] - Colonial Pipeline Co., the nation's largest petroleum products pipeline, agreed to pay a record $34 million to settle a government investigation into a series of oil spills that fouled water in seven states, the U.S. Justice Department said this week. (Reuters, 3 Apr. 2003)

Court Orders OSHA [U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration] to Protect Workers From Dangerous Lung Carcinogen [USA] - Federal Appeals Court Tells Government to Write Rule About Hexavalent Chromium; Order Is Culmination of Suit Brought by Public Citizen and PACE (Public Citizen, 3 Apr. 2003)

Appeal victory for Barton [UK] - Former media analyst Louise Barton won her sex discrimination and equal pay appeal today in a judgment she said sounded the "death knell" of the secret bonus culture in the City. Ms Barton took action against investment bank Investec Henderson Crosthwaite after discovering her colleague, former Independent journalist Mathew Horsman, had been paid twice as much as her. (Chris Tryhorn, Guardian [UK], 3 Apr. 2003)

UK firms face £73 billion age discrimination bill - In the first year of the 2006 age discrimination legislation alone, employers may have to pay out £193 million in claims unless they start the process of compliance now, it has been warned...with an overall price for the legislation of £73 billion (HR Gateway, 3 Apr. 2003)

Dillard Trucking settles sex suit [USA] - Byron-based Dillard Trucking settled a sexual harassment claim with two former employees for $85,000, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported Wednesday. (David Whelan, Contra Costa Times, 3 Apr. 2003)

Coke bottler faces death suit - A US court has ruled that Coca-Cola's main Latin American bottler can stand trial for allegedly hiring right-wing paramilitaries to kill and intimidate union leaders in Colombia...Panamerican Beverages (Panamco), Coca-Cola's main bottler in Latin America of which it owns about 25%, and Colombian bottler Bebidas y Alimentos now face a trial. But District Judge Jose E Martinez in Miami excluded the Atlanta-based drinks giant Coca-Cola and its Colombian unit because its bottling agreement did not give it "explicit control" over labour issues in Colombia. (Stefan Armbruster, BBC News, 2 Apr. 2003)

• Court Rules that Human Rights Case Can Go Forward Against Coca-Cola Bottlers (Terry Collingsworth, Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Fund, and Dan Kovalik, United Steel Workers Union, posted on CorpWatch website, 1 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Investigan en E.U. a embotelladora de Coca Cola en Colombia por presunto apoyo a paramilitares - Una Corte Federal de Miami aceptó una demanda contra la empresa en un caso de muerte y persecución de sindicalistas. El caso fue aceptado el 30 de marzo por el juez José E. Martínez, de una corte de esa ciudad, y afecta a las empresas Panamericana Beverages Inc. (la embotelladora de la gaseosa en América Latina) así como a las colombianas Panamco y Bebidas y Alimentos, según los abogados de los trabajadores. El caso que motivó la demanda es el de Isidro Segundo Gil, dirigente sindical que fue encontrado muerto en el interior de la embotelladora en la población de Carepa (Antioquia), en 1996. (El Tiempo, 3 abril 2003)

• Judge: Lawsuit against Colombian Coca-Cola bottlers can proceed (Jane Bussey, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 1 Apr. 2003)

Ga. Power race bias suit thrown out - Plaintiffs' attorneys say they'll appeal [USA] - A high-profile racial discrimination case fueled by allegations that Georgia Power did nothing about nooses hanging at its facilities was thrown out by a federal judge this week...The case was brought against Georgia Power and its parent, Southern Co. (Margaret Newkirk, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2 Apr. 2003)

Intel e-mail case heads to state high court [California] - Ruling could redefine parameters of free speech rights in cyberspace - When Ken Hamidi was fired from Intel over a work injury dispute...the engineer sent six e-mail messages to thousands of Intel employees from 1996 to 1998, criticizing the computer giant's employment practices. Intel asked Hamidi to stop and tried to block his e-mails, but to no avail. (Harriet Chiang, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2003)

Tobacco companies sue state, saying ads ``vilify'' industry [USA] - Two of the nation's largest tobacco companies are suing California, alleging the state's anti-smoking TV ads unfairly "vilify" the tobacco industry..The lawsuit, filed late Tuesday in a Sacramento federal court by tobacco companies R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard, alleges the state's ads unfairly influence potential jurors who may be asked to rule on tobacco-related lawsuits. (Jessica Brice, Associated Press, 2 Apr. 2003)

Former Post editor files $8 million discrimination suit [USA] - A former high-ranking editor at the New York Post filed an $8 million discrimination lawsuit against the paper [owned by News Corp.] Tuesday, claiming she was forced out of her job because management wanted an all-male leadership team. (Erin McClam, Associated Press, 1 Apr. 2003)

Legal case for doing the right thing -...As a wave of legal actions - such as a case alleging that Unocal, the US oil company, used forced labour in Burma - put business responsibility on trial, the voluntary versus mandatory debate is increasingly being overtaken by the law. Many question whether a law passed in 1789 - the Alien Tort Claims Act, through which some US courts have allowed lawsuits that allege US companies have violated international laws abroad - should be used in this way. But whatever the outcome of such cases (no company has yet made any payment) and the result of the debate, the potential liability of multinational companies in relation to corporate responsibility is becoming harder to ignore...Laws on misrepresentation or false advertising can come to bear on what companies voluntarily disclose about themselves. Currently under the spotlight is Nike, which was sued by Marc Kasky, an activist who alleged the company made false statements in press releases about its labour practices...Many of the legal challenges facing companies today are examined in a report released last month. Prepared by the International Institute for Environment and Development, it aims to demonstrate how the law is shaping corporate responsibility. (Sarah Murray, Financial Times, 31 Mar. 2003)

• Legal Issues in Corporate Citizenship -...Mandatory legislation on various aspects of business transparency is emerging around the world. It can form part of company law, environmental regulation, or tailored legislation for institutional investors or on social and environmental reporting. Pressure for enhanced public sector accountability has also given rise to calls for company reporting on revenues paid to host government by companies in the extractive industries...A new wave of legal actions – mostly in US courts, but also in some EU countries – is testing the boundaries of existing legal principles in relation to some of the most difficult issues of the CSR agenda. For example, a series of cases in the US, France and Belgium are testing how fundamental principles of international law – particularly human rights law – apply to parent companies of multinational corporate groups. (Halina Ward, International Institute for Environment and Development, Feb. 2003)

Keller Rohrback Announces International Law Suit Filed on Behalf of Apartheid Victims--Makhetha, et al. v. Credit Commercial De France, et al. - The law firm of Keller Rohrback, L.L.P. and other firms in the United States, filed a complaint that seeks to hold French and Swiss banks and other financial institutions responsible for allegedly aiding and abetting the apartheid regime in South Africa...The suit alleges that these banks provided the funding that enabled South Africa to expand its police and security apparatus. (Keller Rohrback L.L.P., 30 Mar. 2003)

Anglo in 'slaves' charge [South Africa] - Mining group Anglo American is facing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit claiming that it profited from collaborating with apartheid-era South Africa. Lawyers representing thousands of victims of the racist regime are to file a legal action this week alleging that the UK-listed Anglo American exploited black workers, seized property and stripped the country of natural resources during the Seventies and Eighties. The legal claim follows a report by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission earlier this month, which singled out Anglo American as a beneficiary of apartheid and urged corporations to compensate victims. Anglo American denies wrongdoing...The lawyers...plan to lodge a complaint in the US courts by Friday. (Conal Walsh, Observer [UK], 30 Mar. 2003)

Appellate court ruling means potential trial for Unocal over Myanmar project - A state [California] appellate court ruling could lead to a trial against Unocal Corp. over allegations that it shares responsibility for abuses allegedly conducted by troops guarding a pipeline project in Myanmar. Refugees from the southeast Asian nation formally known as Burma have accused Unocal of being complicit in slavery, murder and rape related to the 1990s construction of the $1.2 billion Yadana pipeline. (Associated Press, 29 Mar. 2003)

Bhopal Gas Victims to File Appeal in US Court - Victims of the world's worst-ever industrial disaster said Friday they would continue their fight for compensation despite a United States court's March 20 dismissal of their claim for damages in a protracted law suit against American multinational Union Carbide. (OneWorld South Asia, 28 Mar. 2003)

More Indonesians to sue Japan over aid-funded dam - More than 4,000 Indonesians will join a lawsuit against the Japanese government, demanding compensation for a dam funded by aid from Tokyo [Kotopanjang Dam in Sumatra] and which they say has destroyed their livelihood, supporters said yesterday...Also named in the original suit were the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a semi-governmental bank that provides loans to foreign countries and overseas projects, and Tokyo Electric Power Services Co, an affiliate of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), Japan's largest utility. (Reuters, 27 Mar. 2003)

Company sued for flouting job laws [Bahrain] - A Bahrain company which employed 32 expatriate workers illegally has been taken to court, as part of a government campaign to enforce labour laws...More labour inspectors have been recruited and inspections stepped up, said Labour and Social Affairs Ministry labour inspection head Shaikh Ali bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa..."As it is a human rights issue, we shall study the cases of illegal workers with the embassies concerned, as well as the human rights organisations." Shaikh Ali said his inspectors would also visit labour camps to ensure that the workers' accommodation meets the necessary safety and hygiene conditions. (Soman Baby, Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 24 Mar. 2003)

An Age Of Discrimination? The U.S. sees an increase in suits complaining of age and religious bias -...Although EEOC complaints are relatively easy to file, they face tough outcomes. Only about 20 percent of the complainants prevail. [refers to age discrimination complaint against Seal Dynamics; religious discrimination complaint against Computer Sciences Corp., Foot Locker Inc., Ford Motor Co.] (Carrie Mason-Draffen, Newsday, 23 Mar. 2003)

Friendly's settles claim of discrimination [USA] - A charge four mentally retarded people were refused service at a Friendly's restaurant has led the chain to establish a new anti-discrimination policy and give the Wrentham Developmental Center money for recreational trips. (Laura Crimaldi, MetroWest Daily News, 22 Mar. 2003)

Government promises to name racist employers [UK] - Racist employers are to be named as part of government measures aimed at ending all discrimination in the workplace within 10 years. (Paul Waugh, Independent [UK], 22 Mar. 2003)

• Ministry to expose race bias companies [UK] - Employers with a bad record of racial discrimination will be named by the government as part of an effort across Whitehall to boost the job prospects of ethnic minorities. Companies that lose a number of employment tribunal cases involving racial discrimination will be revealed by the Department of Trade and Industry. (David Turner, Financial Times, 21 Mar. 2003)

Judge: Tyson Foods immigration case going to jury [USA] -...A Tyson personnel manager Thursday disputed earlier testimony, saying there was no 9-year-old working at a Missouri poultry plant.  Ahrazue Wilt, the company's complex human resources manager in Sedalia, agreed with earlier testimony that a 14-year-old Hispanic worker was injured on the job at the plant.  Wilt said a subsequent U.S. Department of Labor investigation found "about five" underage workers. (Bill Poovey, Associated Press, 21 Mar. 2003)

Philip Morris ordered to pay $10.1 billion in ``light'' cigarette suit [USA] - A judge ordered Philip Morris USA on Friday to pay $10.1 billion for misleading smokers into believing its "light" cigarettes are less harmful than regular labels. (AP, in San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2003)

• Philip Morris must pay $10.1bn in 'lights' case - Philip Morris was last night ordered to pay $10.1bn damages by a judge who ruled that the world's biggest cigarette maker had deceived smokers into thinking "light" cigarettes were safer than regular ones. (Neil Buckley, Financial Times, 22 Mar. 2003)

Suit Alleging Firm Aided Genocide Proceeds - A Southern District of New York federal judge has refused to dismiss claims that a Canadian oil company abetted genocide by the government of Sudan against its own people. Talisman Energy Inc. had asked Judge Allen G. Schwartz to dismiss the case brought by plaintiffs who said the company was complicit in a campaign of kidnapping, rape, murder and land confiscation conducted by the government against non-Muslim residents who lived within a 50-mile radius of oil fields and transport systems. (Mark Hamblett, New York Law Journal, in New York Lawyer, 20 Mar. 2003)

Tanzania orders destruction of toxic transformers - The Tanzanian parliament has ordered the removal of electrical equipment containing highly toxic polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) from Dar es Salaam International Airport. The order reflects growing concern about the alleged 'dumping' of harmful or outdated products by industrialised countries in Tanzania. The equipment, consisting of 12 transformers, was installed in the airport in 1984 by the French company, Bouygues, that built the airport...some members of parliament have alleged that Bouygues knew that the transformers were prohibited at the time that they installed them, and are considering filing for compensation. (Deodatus Balile, SciDev.Net, 19 Mar. 2003)

• company website: Bouygues

Rights case against Talisman allowed to proceed - A federal [U.S.] judge Wednesday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Talisman Energy Inc., one of Canada's biggest oil companies, alleging it participated in human rights abuses against non-Muslim residents of southern Sudan. (Reuters, 19 Mar. 2003)

US seeks $289bn in tobacco claim - The US Justice Department is suing the world's leading tobacco companies for $289bn (£184.5bn) of their profits for the alleged fraudulent marketing of cigarettes. A court filing by the US government claims the companies lied about the link with cancer and the addictiveness of cigarettes. (BBC News, 19 Mar. 2003)

Pakistani-American Workers to Share $1.11 Million in Harassment Settlement with Stockton Steel [subsidiary of Herrick Corp.] [USA] - Muslim Employees Ridiculed While Engaging In Prayer Obligations, EEOC Suit Says (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 19 Mar. 2003)

• Muslim workers to receive $1.1 million discrimination settlement [USA] - Stockton Steel [subsidiary of Herrick Corp.] will pay $1.1 million to four Pakistani-American former employees who said they were harassed because of their ethnicity and Muslim faith, under a settlement announced Wednesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (Deborah Kong, Associated Press, 19 Mar. 2003)

Union leader Somboon reinstated!! Action still needed on Gina Form Bra factory [Thailand] - GAP has reacted quickly to the organisations filing the complaint, and a monitoring team has visited twice and has also held meetings with the Union and other Thai organisations...CCC is pleased that the Gap is investigating this case and it taking an active role...WRAP has not reacted to the Unions complaint nor to letters of other organizations...La Senza is reportedly threatening to cease placing production orders with Gina Form Bra Company. The union DOES NOT want the brand label companies to withdraw orders and the factory to close...Victoria’s Secret [owned by the Limited Brands], K-mart and Boutique Jacob did not react at all. (Clean Clothes Campaign, 19 Mar. 2003)

Sun Hit With Discrimination Suit [USA] - In a class action suit against Sun Microsystems Inc., a former Sun employee claims the company discriminated against him and other employees when it layed off about 2,500 workers in 2001. Former Sun software engineering manager Walter Kruz...claimed that Sun engaged in age and race discrimination when it fired him and others. (Jeff Moad, eWEEK, 19 Mar. 2003)

USA: Judge Tosses Bhopal Lawsuit - A federal judge threw out a lawsuit Tuesday that sought damages for those living near the deadly 1984 gas leak that killed thousands in Bhopal, India, saying Union Carbide Corp. had done enough and that too much time had passed. (Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, 18 Mar. 2003)

Silver Bay man wins age discrimination lawsuit [USA] - The court rules the employer [Anderson Fuel and Lubricants Inc.] was wrong to demote the man after his heart surgery. - A Silver Bay man was awarded a $157,000 judgment after a court determined that a Superior company was guilty of age discrimination and reckless indifference to the Minnesota Human Rights Act in firing him. (Mark Stodghill, Duluth News Tribune, 18 Mar. 2003)

Race discrimination victim still waiting for tribunal cash award [UK] - A Rastafarian who won a race discrimination tribunal against his employers [Adam Fire Surrounds Ltd] is still waiting for his compensation. (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 18 Mar. 2003)

Lawsuit alleging age discrimination against Supervalu headed to trial [USA] (Ann Merrill, Star Tribune, 18 Mar. 2003)

Charges follow deaths at Pacific Steel [New Zealand] - Pacific Steel is to face prosecution over the deaths of two men at its Auckland site last year. (EPMU - New Zealand Amalgamated Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, 17 Mar. 2003)

AARP, Virginia Law Firm Sue Capital One [USA] - The AARP has joined an age discrimination lawsuit filed in Virginia against Capital One Financial Corp. (AP, 16 Mar. 2003)

Ex-firefighter sues DynCorp over dismissal [USA] - Skaggs' lawsuit alleges the company violated Americans with Disability Act and Age Discrimination Employment Act when it fired Skaggs, who is in his early 50s. (Jay F. Marks, Enid News & Eagle, 14 Mar. 2003)

Less money for mining victims - Cape plc’s South African asbestos victims will get only one-third of the £21-million originally promised them by the British-based multinational. (Justin Arenstein, Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 14 Mar. 2003)

Flight attendants lose travel vouchers won in discrimination suit [USA] - Flight attendants who fought Trans World Airlines for almost 20 years over its policy of grounding pregnant employees won't get the free travel they were promised to settle the discrimination case in 1995. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that American Airlines, which bought bankrupt TWA in 2001, does not have to honor the flight vouchers (David B. Caruso, Associated Press, 14 Mar. 2003)

Use kid gloves in handling claims of discrimination or harassment [USA] - There are simple ways employers can more effectively cooperate with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission while creating a better environment for the resolution of employment issues. These guidelines will minimize both the risk of claims and potential liability should a claim be asserted. (Stephen W. Schueler, Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC, in Houston Business Journal, 14 Mar. 2003)

Gold Mines Could Face Gencor-Type Lawsuits [South Africa] - Spoor said far more workers had silicosis than asbestosis (Business Day [South Africa], 14 Mar. 2003)

Black workers to receive £45m asbestos settlement [South Africa] - Thousands of black South African workers suffering from asbestos-related diseases yesterday secured multi-million pound compensation deals from two leading mining companies, after six years of legal wrangling in London and Johannesburg. British company Cape has agreed to pay £7.5m in compensation to 7,500 workers, and Gencor, a South African company which took over many Cape operations in 1979, has agreed to set up a trust fund for its workers, worth 448 million rand (£37.5m). Gencor will pay an additional £3.21m to the Cape claimants, who were also exposed to Gencor's operations. (David Black, Guardian, 14 Mar. 2003)

• SA mineworkers win asbestos payout -...the largest settlement in the country's history. [South Africa] (BBC News, 14 Mar. 2003)

• Asbestos deal won't bring back the dead [South Africa] - Various organisations said on Thursday nothing would reverse the loss of life and damage suffered by victims of asbestos-related diseases but they welcomed the settlement agreements with Cape plc and Gencor with a mixture of anger and relief. (South African Press Association, in Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 14 Mar. 2003)

BP faces record fine for spoiling Los Angeles air [USA] - BP is facing a record $320m (£200m) pollution fine and allegations that the oil company submitted false documentation to air quality control regulators (Terry Macalister, Guardian [UK], 14 Mar. 2003)

• California air agency sues BP for $319 mln over tanks (Reuters, 14 Mar. 2003)

• BP accused of violations in California - California environmental officials have, in a $319m lawsuit, accused BP, the world's second biggest energy company, of violating air pollution rules and lying in reports to regulators. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is also probing alleged violations by ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco, but has yet to decide whether to file suit because it has not finished its investigations (Carola Hoyos & Sheila McNulty, Financial Times, 13 Mar. 2003)

"I Feel Disgusted" [USA] - Alleged death threats and sexual abuse of immigrants at a North Haven factory [Chef Solutions factory that makes and freezes dough for bread baked at, among other places, Subway and Shaw's] -...Alexander says the sexual harassment stopped in 2001, after six years, when she and her sisters hired a lawyer...the workers have taken their complaint national, distributing leaflets at the ticket counters of Lufthansa airlines, the factory's parent company. [includes excerpts from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Chef Solutions' North Haven factory; also refers to a racial discrimination complaint against the same company] (Paul Bass, New Haven Advocate, 13 Mar. 2003)

Pharmaceutical Company Whistle-Blower Tells of 'Illegal' Tactics [USA] - David Franklin, the drug company whistle-blower who has sparked federal and state investigations into the marketing of the top-selling drug Neurontin, said yesterday that he and his former colleagues engaged in a series of inappropriate tactics, including misleading doctors to persuade them to prescribe the drug for unapproved uses. ''I was trained to do things and did things that were blatantly illegal''...Franklin spent just four months working as a medical liaison for Parke-Davis, the company that sold Neurontin and was later acquired by Pfizer Inc. in 2000. Over the short period, he grew uncomfortable with the aggressive sales tactics even though he felt the rest of the drug industry was doing the same thing (Liz Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, 12 Mar. 2003)

• Pfizer, U.S. Discuss Settlement of Neurontin Inquiry [USA] - Federal prosecutors and Pfizer Inc. are continuing talks to settle allegations that the company illegally promoted its epilepsy drug, Neurontin, for uses that weren't approved by the government (Dow Jones, 12 Mar. 2003)

Reps Order Shell to Pay Ijaw $1.5b Compensation [Nigeria] -...the House of Representatives has ordered Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria Limited to pay the sum of US$1.5 billion to Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa State as compensation for the untold hardship and environmental devastation it has brought the Ijaws since 1956. The House of Representatives issued this directive to Shell (SPDC) following the recommendation of a-four-man advisory legal panel which it set up to consider the petition filed by Ijaw Aborigines against Shell. (Lemmy Ughegbe, Vanguard [Nigeria], 12 Mar. 2003)

Pollution agency seeks $319 million from BP Arco [USA] - The South Coast Air Quality Management District filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking more than $319 million in damages from BP Arco for alleged violations of emissions standards. (Associated Press, 12 Mar. 2003)

Lion Oil Reaches Clear Air Settlement With Government [USA] - The U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday said they had reached a comprehensive Clean Air Act settlement with Lion Oil Co. to reduce harmful air emissions from the company’s El Dorado refinery by 1,380 tons per year. (Arkansas Business, 12 Mar. 2003)

Home health care exec hit with $1 million verdict in sex discrimination case [USA] - A federal jury in Minneapolis has awarded a former Mallinckrodt Inc. executive $1 million in lost wages and punitive damages in a sex discrimination lawsuit in which she alleged the company paid her less than her male counterparts but gave her heavier workloads...Mallinckrodt, a subsidiary of Tyco International, manufactures and markets home health care products. (Sherri Cruz, Star Tribune [Minneapolis-St. Paul], 12 Mar. 2003)

Judge Orders Reinstatement, Backpay for Wal-Mart Worker [USA]; Issues Nationwide Remedy for Retailer's Anti-Union Tactics - Labor Board Judge Rules Retail Giant Illegally Tried to Silence Workers - Wal-Mart Ordered to Remove Anti-Union Language from Benefits Materials (UFCW International Union, 11 Mar. 2003)

• company website: Wal-Mart

Japanese court tosses forced labor suit - A court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit by a group of Chinese who sought compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies for allegedly using them as slave laborers during World War II...All but one of the 10 companies being sued - Hazama Corp., Furukawa Co., Tekken Corp., Nishimatsu Construction, Ube Industries, Dowa Mining, Nittetsu Mining, Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Tobishima and Japan Energy Corp. - are publicly listed. (Kenji Hall, Associated Press, 11 Mar. 2003)

• Court throws out Chinese wartime slave labor claim - A claim for compensation from the Japanese government and 10 companies filed by 42 Chinese people who said they were submitted to forced labor during World War II was Tuesday rejected by the Tokyo District Court. (Mainichi Shimbun, 11 Mar. 2003)

Rent-A-Center loses another harassment case [USA] - A Kansas City, Kan., jury on Friday awarded more than $1.2 million in damages to a former employee of Rent-A-Center Inc. in a sexual harassment case. (Dan Margolies, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2003)

Factory fined RM20,000 for discharging effluents [Malaysia] - An electronics factory here was today fined RM20,000 by the Sessions Court for discharging effluents above the permissable levels into Sungai Melaka. (A. Hafiz Yatim, New Straits Times, 10 Mar. 2003)

Asbestos Case Ruling Sides With Workers [USA] - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that some workers who were exposed to cancer-causing asbestos can win money damages in court even though they do not yet have cancer and may never get it...The fear of developing cancer is grounds enough to collect for workers who already have asbestosis, a separate asbestos-related ailment, and can document their health fears, a 5-member majority of the court found. (Associated Press, 10 Mar. 2003)

Toyota settles US Clean Air Act suit for $34 mln [USA] - Toyota Motor Corp has pledged to improve anti-pollution controls on old, publicly owned buses that were not made by Toyota as part of a $34 million package to settle a Clear Air Act lawsuit, the U.S. Justice Department said..."With this bus retrofit action, our nation's school children will be breathing less of the small particles that can cause lung and respiratory damage," said EPA Administrator Christine Whitman. (Deborah Charles, Reuters, 10 Mar. 2003)

Heavy fines loom for pollution cover-ups [state of Western Australia] - New laws aimed at people and businesses who do not report contaminated sites will be debated in the Legislative Assembly this week. (Steve Butler, West Australian, 10 Mar. 2003)

Doosan chief faces probe over labor feud [South Korea] -...Sources at the Ministry of Labor said yesterday that Park Yong-sung, chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, has been asked to appear before a Labor Ministry tribunal by March 13 to face questioning over his alleged involvement in the Doosan company's unfair anti-labor activities. (Yoo Cheong-mo, Korea Herald, 8 Mar. 2003)

Suit accuses Friedman's of racial discrimination [USA] - Friedman's Inc., the Savannah-based jewelry chain, was accused in a federal lawsuit Thursday of racial discrimination against African-Americans in hiring and promotions, and maintaining a racially hostile workplace. (Matthew C. Quinn, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7 Mar. 2003)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] sues McDonald's restaurant for disability bias against employee with facial disfigurement -...The suit says that McDonald's discriminated against Samantha Robichaud when it denied her the opportunity for promotion to a management position and constructively discharged her due to a cosmetic disfigurement known as Sturge Weber Syndrome. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 7 Mar. 2003)

AT&T Research to Pay $75,000 in Bias Case - AT&T Research Laboratories is to pay $75,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of a 50-year-old man denied a job in favor of an applicant almost half his age. (AP, 7 Mar. 2003)

$100-million lawsuit questions Bayer's handling of recalled cholesterol drug - A $100-million US lawsuit unfolding in a Texas courtroom has yielded e-mails and internal documents suggesting Bayer Corp. disregarded disturbing research on the cholesterol drug Baycol before pulling it off the market because of dozens of deaths. (Lynn Brezosky, Canadian Press, 7 Mar. 2003)

United States Settles Clean Air Act Case Against Toyota - The Department of Justice and the Environment Protection Agency finalized a settlement of the government's lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation for Clean Air Act violations involving 2.2 million vehicles manufactured between 1996 and 1998. Under the settlement, Toyota will spend $20 million on a supplemental environmental project to retrofit up to 3,000 public diesel fleet vehicles to make them run cleaner and extend the emission control system warranty on affected vehicles. In addition, Toyota will accelerate its compliance with certain new emission control requirements, and pay a $500,000 civil penalty. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Mar. 2003)

{···español} PCB en las calles Plantenses [Argentina] - La Defensoría Ecológica de La Plata denunció ayer a la empresa de energía eléctrica Edelap por la utilización de transformadores con la sustancia tóxica PCB luego de que el viernes pasado vecinos de Gonnet presentaran un reclamo ante el organismo en donde afirmaban que por lo menos 10 personas, en una cuadra del barrio donde viven 15 familias, contrajeron diversos tipos de cáncer por la contaminación ambiental. (Página/12 [Argentina], 6 marzo 2003)

Allstate Lawsuit Could Be Largest Age Discrimination Case [USA] - Twenty-nine employees at U.S. insurer Allstate Corp. are seeking class-action status for an age discrimination lawsuit alleging the company targeted older workers when it phased out its Neighborhood Office Agents (Business for Social Responsibility summary of 2 Mar. 2003 New York Times article, 5 Mar. 2003)

Waste management company to pay nearly $200,000 for disability discrimination - Qualified Employee with Crohn's Disease Fired Unlawfully, EEOC Suit Says - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a $194,000 settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) on behalf of a qualified former employee with Crohn's disease who was terminated by Browning-Ferris, Inc., a waste management company. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 5 Mar. 2003)

Black clergy set boycott over alleged financing discrimination [USA] - Black clergy members from numerous states have set a March 15 boycott date against DaimlerChrysler AG unless the automaker addresses allegations of racial discrimination. The unnamed coalition claimed 240 ministers from 14 states met at a Baptist church in Harvey to protest alleged credit practices denying loans to minorities, said Sean Howard, a spokesman for the group. Consumers claiming discrimination have filed a lawsuit against the company's financing arm, DaimlerChrysler Services.. (Associated Press, 3 Mar. 2003)

report: Development Disasters: Japanese-Funded Dam Projects in Asia - This report features case studies of six exisiting or proposed dam projects funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). JBIC-funded dam projects in Asia have been fraught with problems, which have led to serious and unmitigated social, environmental and economic impacts, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. [refers to dam projects in Indonesia (Koto Panjang Dam: refers to lawsuit by local people in Indonesia against Tokyo Electric Power Services Co., JBIC & Japanese govt.), Philippines (San Roque Multipurpose Project: refers to San Roque Power Corp., consisting of Marubeni, Kansai Electric & Sithe Energies), Thailand, China, Malaysia] (Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia, International Rivers Network and Friends of the Earth, Mar. 2003)

Environmental Groups Sue EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] for Weakening Clean Air Act - Charge Bush administration’s new source review changes illegal - The Bush administration’s changes to a key provision of the Clean Air Act is illegal and will dramatically increase air pollution, threatening the health of millions of Americans, according to a lawsuit filed today by Earthjustice on behalf of a coalition of environmental and public health groups. (Earthjustice, 28 Feb. 2003)

Fired ConAgra Worker Wins Race Case [USA] - A line supervisor at an Arkansas poultry processing plant has won a jury verdict of more than $14 million on claims that his firing after 32 years of employment was racially motivated. (Nick Upmeyer, National Law Journal, 26 Feb. 2003)

Beverly Hilton Hotel to pay $220,000 to Group of Job Applicants in Age Bias Case (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 26 Feb. 2003)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] Settles Sexual Harassment Suit for $2.3 Million Against SH&E [New York-based airline consulting firm Simat, Helliesen & Eichner] and Reed Telepublishing (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 26 Feb. 2003)

State [of California] toxic control agency fines Rialto firm $2.5 million [USA] - Nearly $2.5 million in fines have been levied against a Rialto hazardous waste facility [Denova Environmental Inc.] where thousands of pounds of unstable explosives were stored, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control announced Wednesday. (Associated Press, 26 Feb. 2003)

Erin Brockovich firm to sue over Beverly Hills oil -...a lawsuit against the city of Beverly Hills and three oil companies for allegedly ignoring cancer-causing toxic gases leaking from oil wells on the Beverly Hills High School grounds. Masry told Reuters the lawsuit would be filed within a month in Los Angeles Superior Court against the city, the school district and Occidental Petroleum Corp., ChevronTexaco Corp. and privately held Venoco Inc. of Carpinteria, California, on behalf of more than 80 cancer patients who are former students, teachers or school employees. (Gina Keating, Reuters, 25 Feb. 2003)

Bayer shares fall as Baycol woes mount - Shares in Bayer AG fell five percent on Monday after a U.S. newspaper reported that senior company executives knew of the risks associated with its Baycol cholesterol drug long before it was recalled. (Sitaraman Shankar, Reuters, 24 Feb. 2003)

New Canaan writer exposes the worst of Wall Street [USA] - Susan Antilla may not describe herself as tough, but she doesn't object to the characterization. After all, it takes a lot of fortitude to investigate gender discrimination and sexual harassment on Wall Street, then write a book that names names and clearly details the offenses. (Eileen Byrnes, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2003)

• Book Chronicles Gender Discrimination on Wall Street - A new book details several women's efforts to fight sexual harassment and gender discrimination on Wall Street. Tales from the Boom-Boom Room: Wall Street vs. Women tells the story of a whistleblower who tried to hold Wall Street accountable for its treatment of women. (NPR, 20 Feb. 2003)

• Sex and the Street - book review of Tales from the Boom-Boom Room: Wall Street vs. Women by Susan Antilla (Heather Timmons, Business Week, 25 Nov. 2002)

Analysis: Dow Chemical and Bhopal – the continuing debate on responsibility - Dow Chemical is coming under renewed pressure in 2003 over the long-running issue of the Bhopal accident in 1984. Dale Crofts examines the situation (Dale Crofts, Research Fellow at the Centre for Organisation Reputation and Relationships at Henley Management College UK, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 22 Feb. 2003)

US factory boss guilty of 'slavery' - The owner of a clothes factory in American Samoa [Kil Soo Lee, who owned the Daweoosa Samoa company which made clothes for the JC Penney chain as well as other retailers before it closed] has been convicted [in U.S. court] of what prosecutors called "modern-day slavery"...he was accused of ordering beatings for disobedient employees, starving workers or threatening them with deportation if they complained. (BBC News, 22 Feb. 2003)

• Man found guilty of running sweatshop - The American Samoan factory's owner abused hundreds of workers (Debra Barayuga, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 Feb. 2003)

Factory fined for refusing access to inspector [Australia] - An Adelaide paint manufacturer has been fined $4500 after being found guilty of abusing and barring access to a workplace inspector attempting to measure solvent fumes. (David Eccles, Advertiser [Australia], 22 Feb. 2003)

Book Review: Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights - In the Kasky v. Nike case...Nike's claim to free speech rights is predicated on an 1886 Supreme Court case that established "corporate personhood" and extended citizens' rights to corporations. However, the [U.S.] Supreme Court justices' 1886 decision did not, in fact, establish corporate personhood, according to author Thom Hartmann. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 21 Feb. 2003)

Corporate Bill for Slavery - The federal class-action lawsuits [in USA]...seek corporate accountability for profits made from slavery, unspecified damages and the establishment of a fund for the healthcare, housing, education and economic development needs of African-Americans. They also want a full investigation of the financial underpinnings of slavery...On the other side of the lawsuits are seventeen powerful corporations. They include financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and FleetBoston; insurance companies (e.g., Aetna and New York Life); railroads (Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and CSX); tobacco companies (R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson); and a textile manufacturer (WestPoint Stevens). (John S. Friedman, The Nation, 20 Feb. 2003)

Plastics industry loses out -...When chemicals companies Solvay and EVC decided to sue us in 1997, they were following in a long corporate tradition of using money and the courts to silence critics...Solvay and EVC were suing over our campaign to prevent poisonous PVC plastic being used in children's toys...In Italy the two companies sued us for damage to their image, reputation and for illegal claims. They also maintained "production of PVC and PVC products do not harm the environment". However the judge threw out all claims of the industry and ordered the companies to pay the legal costs. (Greenpeace, 20 Feb. 2003)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] and Pinnacle Nissan [a Scottsdale, Arizona-based automobile dealership] Settle National Origin and Religious Harassment Lawsuit -...the EEOC alleged that six former employees of Pinnacle Nissan were subjected to a hostile working environment on the basis of national origin, Middle Eastern and Hispanic, and one former employee was subjected to a hostile work environment because of his religion, Jewish. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 19 Feb. 2003)

Club Owner May Face Charges in Tramplings [Chicago, USA] - The owner of a nightclub where 21 people died in a stampede down a narrow stairway could face fines and more than a year in jail for criminal contempt of court, officials say...Twenty-one people were killed and more than 50 injured early Monday after a security guard used pepper spray to break up a fight that erupted in the second-floor nightclub known as E2. (Mike Robinson, Associated Press, 19 Feb. 2003)

Suit: Hooters changing room had peepholes [USA] - A 25-year-old Northfield woman filed a federal sexual harassment lawsuit Tuesday against Hooters in Chicago, alleging that top management did little to prevent male employees from viewing the women's changing area through peepholes in the wall. (Curtis Lawrence, Chicago Sun-Times, 19 Feb. 2003)

Deaf Job Applicant to Receive $75,000 for Disability Bias in EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] Settlement with Holiday Inn-Northglenn - Company to Also Conduct Comprehensive Training as Part of Consent Decree (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 18 Feb. 2003)

BP gas field 'ravaged the rainforest' - The oil giant's green credentials take yet another battering as its subsidiary is sued in the US courts - In a court action launched in the US state of Delaware earlier this month, BP has been accused of despoiling a 70,000- acre area of largely virgin Argentinian rainforest earmarked for a "sustainable" hardwood harvesting project. (Severin Carrell, Independent [UK], 16 Feb. 2003)

Wal-Mart Faces Lawsuit Over Sex Discrimination - An ambitious discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart, the nation's biggest employer, accuses it of favoring men over women in promotions and pay. The plaintiffs' lawyers want the lawsuit to include all 700,000 women who worked at Wal-Mart from 1996 to 2001, which would make it by far the largest employment discrimination class action in American history. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2003)

Manpower boss posts bail in probe of Bulgarian worker abuse [Israel] -...Bulgarian construction workers have filed 25 complaints of abuse with police against Tzarfati and his staff. Immigration police are investigating the claims of physical and verbal abuse by the six managers - three Israelis and three Bulgarians, who deny the accusations. (Ruth Sinai, Haaretz [Israel], 15 Feb. 2003)

Firm sued over wells it tainted: San Martin residents worry about health [USA] - Five San Martin homeowners filed a class-action lawsuit Friday against Olin Corp., the giant aerospace and ammunition manufacturer whose highway-flare operation in Morgan Hill contaminated their drinking water wells with a chemical used in rocket fuels. (Frank Sweeney, San Jose Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2003)

Woman wins case vs. Olympia Aviation; said was sexually harassed by Tigers players [USA] - A former flight attendant who said she was sexually harassed by Tigers players scored a $200,000 verdict Thursday in federal court in Detroit. (David Ashenfelter, Detroit Free Press, 14 Feb. 2003)

Lawsuits target drug pricing: Companies' discounts to doctors under scrutiny - New York state filed a lawsuit against two major pharmaceutical companies Thursday in a case that accuses them essentially of paying doctors and pharmacists to choose the companies' drugs over competing medicines...The lawsuits charge that the companies - GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Pharmacia Corp. - gave discounts to doctors and pharmacies that bought their drugs. A third drugmaker, Aventis, has been notified that it may also be sued...Regulators are also concerned that cancer doctors may have a financial incentive to recommend inappropriate or unnecessary chemotherapy because they are able to profit from prescribing particular drugs. (Reed Abelson and Jonathan D. Glater, New York Times, in International Herald Tribune, 14 Feb. 2003)

Judge decides major punitive damages issue in favor of EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] in Dial sexual harassment suit - Trial Set for April 28 in Biggest Sex Harassment Suit Since Landmark Mitsubishi Case (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 13 Feb. 2003)

Griffin Pipe Products to pay $100,000, and implement revamped promotion procedures [USA] - Settlement Benefits African-Americans Denied Promotion to Salaried Positions - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the resolution of its employment discrimination lawsuit against Griffin Pipe Products Company, a subsidiary of Amstead Industries, Inc (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 13 Feb. 2003)

Wal-Mart takes hits on worker treatment [USA] -...At the pinnacle of its success, the company is fending off critics who say Wal-Mart discriminates against women, underpays workers and uses illegal tactics to kill unionization efforts....Roughly 40 lawsuits have been filed by employees who say they were forced to work overtime for no pay. The company is facing a sexual discrimination lawsuit in California that could become the largest such case in history. (Stephanie Armour, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2003)

{···français} Une société de cosmétiques [Biophase] condamnée pour discrimination [France] - Six mois de prison avec sursis pour avoir "trié" personnel et clientèle -..."Les clientes arabes et africaines étaient refusées."..."C'est une sanction historique", a commenté son [l'association SOS-Racisme] vice-président, Samuel Thomas. "Les plus lourdes peines prononcées étaient de trois mois de prison avec sursis. Ce jugement est un encouragement pour tous les salariés qui dénoncent les ordres et agissements discriminatoires provenant de leur direction." (Jean-Pierre Tenoux, Le Monde, 8 février 2003)

Radisson Prince Charles Hotel loses harassment case - A former banquet worker has won a judgment of more than $200,000 against the Radisson Prince Charles Hotel and Suites. [USA] (Al Greenwood, Fayetteville Observer, 7 Feb. 2003)

Construction employer to face manslaughter charges over death of worker on a London construction site [UK] (London Hazards Centre, 7 Feb. 2003)

GE acts to prove PCB case [USA] - Company commissions studies to disprove harm to river that could be cited in damage claims - Anticipating a multimillion-dollar state and federal lawsuit for damages caused by the PCBs it discharged into the Hudson River, the General Electric Co. is continuing what some consider a series of pre-emptive studies to disprove scientific evidence that could be used against the company. (Erin Duggan, Times Union [USA], 6 Feb. 2003)

Wal-Mart labor manager works to keep employees from unions [USA] - The slightest discussion of a union among Wal-Mart employees requires managers to jump into action to discourage the activity, company officials told a judge with a federal labor agency Tuesday. But some employees at a store in Aiken have complained they were harassed and interrogated when they talked of organizing a union in the summer of 2001. (Pamela Hamilton, Associated Press, 4 Feb. 2003)

Asbestos Claimants Accept Gencor Offer [South Africa] - Lawyers representing asbestos victims approved a settlement offer from Gencor yesterday...Part of the R460m settlement offer would be set aside for claims against Cape plc (Chantelle Benjamin, Business Day [South Africa], 4 Feb. 2003)

Banana workers get day in court - For two decades, the workers say, their efforts to win compensation for the damage done by DBCP [a pesticide] - including sterility, cancer, and birth defects in children - have been frustrated by the legal tactics of American chemical and fruit companies. But now they are getting their day in court...A ruling by a federal judge in New Orleans has opened the way for a lawsuit brought by 3,000 Central American banana workers seeking millions in damages, the first time one of these cases would be tried in the United States. (David Gonzalez, Trinidad Express [Trinidad & Tobago], 3 Feb. 2003)

N.J. fighting Ohio polluters [USA] - The McGreevey administration announced Friday that it is dispatching a pair of deputy attorneys general to Ohio to help argue a federal case charging Ohio Edison Co. with polluting New Jersey's air and damaging the health of state residents. (Jack Kaskey, PressofAtlanticCity.com, 1 Feb. 2003)

Legal Issues in Corporate Citizenship -...Mandatory legislation on various aspects of business transparency is emerging around the world. It can form part of company law, environmental regulation, or tailored legislation for institutional investors or on social and environmental reporting. Pressure for enhanced public sector accountability has also given rise to calls for company reporting on revenues paid to host government by companies in the extractive industries...A new wave of legal actions – mostly in US courts, but also in some EU countries – is testing the boundaries of existing legal principles in relation to some of the most difficult issues of the CSR agenda. For example, a series of cases in the US, France and Belgium are testing how fundamental principles of international law – particularly human rights law – apply to parent companies of multinational corporate groups. (Halina Ward, International Institute for Environment and Development, Feb. 2003)

NGO to sue Singapore over sand imports [Indonesia] -...Since sand dredging started in 1979 [in Indonesia], coral reefs have been destroyed and fishing has suffered. So far around 500 million cubic metres of sand have been exported for land reclamation projects in Singapore...In 2001, Bisnis Indonesia reported that Dutch, Japanese and German companies had been contracted by Singapore to procure sand for reclamation projects. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2003)

Asbestos kills, judgment awaits [South Africa] - Herman Kubari is dead...He was the first of 1 600 applicants in a motion in the Johannesburg high court late last year to interdict Gencor, the investment holding company, from unbundling its stake in Impala Platinum and distributing the proceeds to shareholders until sufficient provision had been made for damages actions brought for asbestos-related diseases. (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 30 Jan. 2003)

Logging Pollution Damages North Coast Watersheds [USA] - Accelerated logging has polluted some 85 percent of the waters in California's North Coast region, uprooted protected redwoods and damaged private property, but state officials continue to permit logging companies to avoid complying with environmental regulations. California environmentalists are fighting back with lawsuits (Environment News Service, 29 Jan. 2003)

NAMIBIA: Herero claims could go to court in US in March or April - The Hereros accuse Germany and two companies [Deutsche Bank and Woermann Line (now known as SAFmarine)] of forming a "brutal alliance" to exterminate over 65 000 Hereros between 1904 and 1907. (Southern Africa Documentation and Cooperation Centre, 22 Jan. 2003)

Statement of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Regarding EEOC V. RD's Drive-In -  the employer instituted a rule attempting to censor their [4 employees] ability to speak their native Navajo language, even though use of the Navajo language allowed many employees to perform their work more efficiently. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 21 Jan. 2003)

RIGHTS-JAMAICA: Conference to Continue Fight for Reparations for Slavery -...Meanwhile the reparations movement has been building steam in Jamaica and throughout the world.  Last October, more than 500 delegates meeting in Barbados created the Pan African Movement, which voted to launch lawsuits this year against former slave-trading nations, including Britain, Germany, Belgium and France. (Dionne Jackson Miller, Inter Press Service, 21 Jan. 2003)

Brazil's "green" chief targets Petrobras polluter - Brazil's new Environment Minister Marina Silva says she wants to crack down on the country's record holder for environmental fines, state-owned oil giant Petrobras. (Frances Jones, Reuters, 21 Jan. 2003)

United States Reaches Settlement with Koppers Industries To Settle Scores of Environmental Violations - Koppers Industries, Inc. agreed to pay the United States $2.9 million to resolve allegations of numerous violations of several environmental regulations at many of the company’s U.S. facilities [Koppers makes coke and coal tar, and engages in wood-preserving] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 16 Jan. 2003)

Target Corp. to pay $95,000, implement training for failure to accommodate disabled worker [USA] (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 15 Jan. 2003)

'BABIES R US' to pay $205,000, implement training due to same-sex harassment of male employee -...The initial suit, filed on March 6, 2002, alleged that throughout his employment Mr. Vasquez was the target of unwelcome and derogatory comments as well as behavior that mocked him because he did not conform to societal stereotypes of how a male should appear or behave. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 15 Jan. 2003)

Court rejects forced labor suits by Chinese [Japan] - The Kyoto District Court on Wednesday rejected a suit filed by former Chinese laborers and bereaved family members seeking compensation from a major stainless steel producer and the central government for forcibly bringing them to Japan and making them work in nickel mines in Kyoto Prefecture during World War II. (Kyodo News, 15 Jan. 2003)

TotalFinaElf weathers the storms [refers to complaint in a French court alleging the company used forced labor during pipeline construction in Burma] (Kim Housego, Associated Press, 14 Jan. 2003)

Supreme Court to take up Nike and free speech [USA] - S.F. activist sued, saying firm lied about working conditions (Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2003)

• Supreme Court takes free speech vs. advertising case [USA] - The court will use the case brought against sporting apparel giant Nike to define the differences between corporate free speech and product advertising for companies accused of transgressions such as poor labor and environmental practices. (Josh Richman, Tri-Valley Herald, 11 Jan. 2003)

Deaths on the Job, Slaps on the Wrist [Dangerous Business - Part Three] [USA] - McWane [McWane Inc., Alabama conglomerate that owns cast-iron foundries] is one of the most enduring violators of worker-safety and environmental laws...McWane has persisted largely unchecked by taking full advantage of a regulatory system that has often proven itself incapable of thwarting flagrant and continual safety and environmental violations by major corporations (David Barstow and Lowell Bergman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2003)

• Family's Profits, Wrung From Blood and Sweat [Dangerous Business - Part Two] (David Barstow and Lowell Bergman, New York Times, January 9, 2003)

• At a Texas Foundry, an Indifference to Life [Dangerous Business - Part One]...Since 1995, at least 4,600 injuries have been recorded in McWane foundries, many hundreds of them serious ones, company documents show. Nine workers, including Mr. Hoskin, have been killed. (David Barstow and Lowell Bergman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2003)

Wal-Mart's War on Workers: Frontline Report from Colorado, Texas and Florida - America's Biggest Corporation Turns Into Its Biggest Workplace Bully - Illegal Surveillance, Threats and Intimidation Marks Wal-Mart's Campaign to Suppress Worker Voices - Wal-Mart's claim that its "associates" don't want union representation rings hollow as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issues three new complaints against the retail giant. (UFCW - United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 8 Jan. 2003)

Forethought can fend off suits: Smart employers plan with such issues as harassment in mind [USA] (Charlotte Observer, 6 Jan. 2003)

EEOC sues Pickle Manufacturing Company for discrimination against workers from India [USA] - Low Wages, Mistreatment, Harsh Living Conditions Lead to Federal Suit on Behalf of Immigrants - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the John Pickle Company, alleging that the Tulsa-based oil industry parts manufacturer discriminated against a class of at least 52 workers on the basis of their race (Asian) and national origin (East Indian) (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2 Jan. 2003)

Brink's to pay $30,000 to Peoria area woman for failure to accommodate religious beliefs [USA] - EEOC Suit Said Pentecostal Employee Fired for Refusal to Wear Pants as Part of Uniform (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2 Jan. 2003)

Tanks & Toxics, Planes and Pollution The Ecology of a Military Build-Up [USA] -...Environmental contamination from defense hardware manufacturing dots the U.S. landscape...Communities around defense plants that increase production in the new military boom will face more emissions of pollutants...which especially could affect the health of sensitive populations [refers to Nuclear Metals Inc., Rocketdyne (now a subsidiary of Boeing and formerly operated by Rockwell International), Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, Vought Aircraft; also refers to lawsuits] (William Kelly, editor and publisher of California Environment Report, in Multinational Monitor, Jan./Feb. 2003)

Pesticide Justice - Dow Chemical, Shell Oil Company and Standard Fruit (Dole Food Company in the U.S.), must pay $490 million in compensation to 583 banana workers injured by Nemagon, an extremely toxic soil fumigant that has sterilized thousands of Central American banana workers, a Nicaraguan judge ruled in December 2002. (Amy Ling and Martha Olson Jarocki, Pesticide Action Network North America, in Multinational Monitor, Jan./Feb. 2003)

Enviros Temperature Rising - Amid growing anger among environmentalists over the record and intentions of President George Bush, three major U.S. environmental groups announced in December that they are suing his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to curb global warming. The lawsuit by the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA) charges the EPA with violating the 1977 Clean Air Act by failing to limit air pollution caused by automobiles that "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare." (Jim Lobe, Third World Network Features/Inter Press Service, in Multinational Monitor, Jan./Feb. 2003)

Deconstructing Engagement: Corporate Self-Regulation in Conflict Zones - Implications for Human Rights and Canadian Public Policy [includes sections on: case study of Talisman Energy in Sudan, "Talisman Energy's Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and Verification by PricewaterhouseCoopers", the liability of corporations under international law, "Domestic Disclosure and Corporate Laws", "Litigation", "Consumer and Investor Campaigns", codes of conduct, social reporting, verification/monitoring, "Emerging State Duty to Regulate the Extraterritorial Activities of Corporations"] (Georgette Gagnon, Audrey Macklin, Penelope Simons, A Strategic Joint Initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Law Commission of Canada, Jan. 2003)

2002:

W.R. Grace to take $20 million charge for lawsuit [USA] - Bankrupt chemical maker W.R. Grace & Co. (GRA.N) on Monday said it would take a $20 million charge in the fourth quarter to account for potential liabilities relating to a government lawsuit seeking recovery costs for environmental cleanup at Montana mining sites. (Reuters, 27 Dec. 2002)

Wal-Mart to pay $220,000 for rejecting pregnant applicant, in EEOC settlement [USA] (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 23 Dec. 2002)

EEOC, SoBe, and PepsiCo settle sexual harassment suit for $1.79 million [USA] - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit for $1.79 million against Norwalk, Conn.- based South Beach Beverage Company, Inc. (SoBe), a division of PepsiCo, Inc. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 23 Dec. 2002)

Wal-Mart values: selling women short [USA] - Adams is now a witness in Dukes v. Wal-Mart, in which seven California women--current and former Wal-Mart employees--are charging the company with systematic sex discrimination in promotions, assignments, training and pay. (Liza Featherstone, The Nation, 16 Dec. 2002)

The industry needs a ruling in favor of truth, not Nike [case in U.S. court regarding Nike's denial of labour abuses at its supplier factories in Asia] - Sad is the professional society that doesn't recognize a gift when it sees it. Yet that is precisely what happened when the PRSA [Public Relations Society of America] and other industry groups filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court to overturn the decision and permit corporations to play loose with their facts...let's hope the Supreme Court doesn't take a step back and sanction misleading statements and half-truths. (Jeff Seideman, president of the Boston Chapter of the PRSA, in PR Week, 16 Dec. 2002)

Donnelley to pay $150,000 to paraplegic graphics technician for job bias [USA] - EEOC Consent Decree with Printing Giant Requires Anti-Discrimination Policy for Temporary Employees and Training (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 16 Dec. 2002)

Lawyer: U.S. Firms Ordered to Pay $490M - A Nicaraguan judge has ordered three U.S. companies to pay $490 million to 583 banana workers allegedly affected by the use of the pesticide Nemagon, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said Saturday. The alleged victims sued Dow Chemical, Shell Oil Co. and Standard Fruit Co. in 1998 for using Nemagon in the banana fields of western Nicaragua - despite the fact that the chemical had been banned for causing health problems. (Associated Press, 14 Dec. 2002)

Gulfstream Aerospace to pay $2.1 million for age bias in EEOC settlement - Commission Alleges Class of Older Workers Targeted for Layoffs at Georgia Facility (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 11 Dec. 2002)

Court puts Exxon Valdez punitive damages at $4 bln [USA] (Reuters, 10 Dec. 2002)

Company convicted after worker is left paralysed [New Zealand] - Company convicted after worker is left paralysed -...Brian Ross Contractors Ltd was fined on a number of charges under the Health and Safety in Employment Act. (Occupational Safety And Health, 6 Dec. 2002)

Preventing Harassment at Holiday Parties [USA] - With the holiday season arriving, companies should be aware of the increasing number of lawsuits alleging incidents of sexual harassment at holiday parties, according to employment lawyers. (HR Daily News, 6 Dec. 2002)

Global Funds Tell Union Carbide To Settle Bhopal Gas Leak Claims - A group of international investor funds which includes Trillium Asset Management, Domini Social Investments and the Calvert Group (together managing a combined asset value of $13 billion) have advised Union Carbide to settle claims of economic, health and environmental liabilities of over $500 million (Rs 2,500 crore) stemming out of the Bhopal gas leak...A letter has been sent jointly by a group of funds to the Dow Chemical Company, which took over Union Carbide in 2001 along with all its assets and liabilities. (Ajay Jain, Financial Express [India], 5 Dec. 2002)

Negligence caused Bhopal disaster: Report - Negligence by Union Carbide and not sabotage was responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster, the British journal New Scientist said on Thursday basing its conclusion on documents just released in the United States. (Times of India, 5 Dec. 2002)

Fresh evidence on Bhopal disaster - The company that built and owned the Bhopal chemical plant in India [Union Carbide, acquired by Dow Chemical in 2001] cut crucial corners in its design, documents just released in the US suggest. (Debora MacKenzie, New Scientist, 4 Dec. 2002)

Factory fire: Labour dept also to blame [South Africa] - The labour department also had to share the blame for the tragic loss of 11 lives in a factory fire in Lenasia two years ago, a Johannesburg magistrate said on Monday. Lenasia regional court magistrate Caren Nienaber imposed fines on the owner of ESS Chemicals, Suleman Lachporia (45) and his manager Nezahuddin Ahmod (32). (South African Press Association, 2 Dec. 2002)

• R10 000...That is what this mother's life is worth to the man responsible for her death [South Africa] - Francis Bok, 32, was one of 11 workers who burned to death when the chemical factory in which she was working caught fire on November 17 2000. (Nashira Davids, Sunday Times [South Africa], 1 Dec. 2002)

CCA Welcomes HSE Support for the Retention of Inquests into Work-Related Deaths [UK] - The Health and Safety Executive has criticised the proposal by the Coroner’s Review Team to remove the legal requirement to hold an inquest into a work-related death (Centre for Corporate Accountability, 29 Nov. 2002)

EEOC settles race discrimination suit with the Mirage for $1.14 million - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced it has settled a major race discrimination lawsuit against The Mirage Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip for over $1 million. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 27 Nov. 2002)

S Africa shuns apartheid lawsuits: Country needs investment, say ministers, not compensation - The South African government has refused to support a lawsuit against foreign multinationals and banks which allegedly propped up apartheid because it fears deterring investors. (Rory Carroll, Guardian [UK], 27 Nov. 2002)

Argentine court orders Shell to clean up spill - mayor - An Argentine court ruled that Royal Dutch Shell Group must pay an estimated $10 million to clean up damage from a 1999 oil spill, the mayor of the city which filed the suit said. (Reuters, 25 Nov. 2002)

Companies Will Pay for Polluting New Jersey Water [USA] - Nineteen polluters will together pay a total of $3 million to compensate the state of New Jersey and East Hanover Township for contamination of the local drinking water supply...The settling parties are: Voltronics Corporation; G & F Management; Vincent and Irene Muccione; Viscot Industries, Inc.; MCE/KDI Corporation; Colgate-Palmolive Company; Deforest Investment Co. L.L.C.; Philomena Gasparine; Estate of Sylvio Gasparine; Prime Fabricators, Inc.; Township of East Hanover; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Dorine Industrial Park Partnership; Precision Rolled Products, Inc.; Phelps Dodge Corporation (f/k/a Cyprus Amax Mineral Company); GTE Operations Support Incorporated; Ingersoll-Rand Company and Royal Lubricants Company, Inc. (Environment News Service, 25 Nov. 2002)

Gencor denies it employed asbestos claimants [South Africa] (Ronnie Morris, Business Report, 25 Nov. 2002)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] settles disability discrimination suit against aerospace giant Honeywell for $100,000 (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 22 Nov. 2002)

Gencor opposes class action as 37 seek payment for asbestos-related diseases [South Africa] - SA MINING company, Gencor, has contested the basis for a class action in SA. (Business Day [South Africa], 22 Nov. 2002)

• Gencor's asbestos liability could be huge, court told [South Africa] - Thousands of mineworkers were exposed to the hazards of asbestos dust and as a result thousands of cases could come before the courts (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 21 Nov. 2002)

Are Big Macs hazardous to children's health? Lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's on behalf of New York children who have suffered health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. (Associated Press, 21 Nov. 2002)

Court rejects S Koreans' claim over forced labor [Japan] - The Osaka High Court on Tuesday upheld a district court ruling rejecting a compensation claim filed by two South Korean men [against Nippon Steel] over their forced labor in Osaka during World War II. (Kyodo News, 20 Nov. 2002)

Asbestos victims seek court nod for class action against Gencor [South Africa] - The Johannesburg high court will be asked tomorrow to recognise the right of people suffering from asbestos-related diseases to bring a class action for damages against Gencor, the investment holding company. [refers also to Cape plc] (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 18 Nov. 2002)

PACE International Union Seeks Injunction to Allow Union's Investigation of Fatality at Graphic Packaging Facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan [USA] (PACE International Union, 18 Nov. 2002)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] settles major age bias suit; Foot Locker to pay $3.5 million to former Woolworth employees (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 15 Nov. 2002)

Claimants set to pursue Gencor in UK [UK/South Africa] -...Lawyers for the claimants are apparently re-opening the case because Cape plc failed to pay the first tranche of the settlement on the due date. Gencor has denied any liability arising from claims by asbestos miners (Business Day [South Africa], 14 Nov. 2002)

Nike in free speech battle [Kasky v. Nike: U.S. court case relating to Nike’s treatment of workers in a Vietnam factory] (Rebecca Spencer, Corporate Watch [UK], 13 Nov. 2002)

Short-sighted victories in free speech - The case against Nike in the US [Kasky v. Nike, case alleging false advertising regarding labour conditions]...could have devastating consequences for companies and campaigners alike, says Mallen Baker -...The risks involved in disclosure have just gone through the roof. (Mallen Baker, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 13 Nov. 2002)

NGO Launches US Apartheid Reparations Law Suit [lawsuit in U.S. court against companies for past conduct in South Africa] - A non-governmental organisation has filed a lawsuit against 21 multinational corporations and leading international banks for helping prop up the apartheid state...The companies and banks named in the lawsuit are: Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Exxon Mobil, Caltex Petroleum, Fluor Corporation, Ford, General Motors and IBM in the United States; German-based Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, DaimlerChrysler, and Rheinmetall; Credit Suisse and UBS in Switzerland; Barclays Bank; British Petroleum, Rio Tinto and Fujitsu ICL in the United Kingdom; Total-Fina-Elf from France and Royal Dutch Shell from the Netherlands.  The list was expected to grow by at least 100 names. (South African Press Association, 12 Nov. 2002)

• Global Firms in Court for Supporting' Apartheid - A lawsuit has been lodged in a US court against 21 global business giants alleged to have earned billions through propping up apartheid. (Rob Rose, Business Day [South Africa], 13 Nov. 2002)

• Apartheid victims file lawsuit in US (AFP, 12 Nov. 2002)

• International Law Suit Filed on Behalf of Apartheid Victims - Khulumani et al. v. Barclays et al. - Today the law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C. along with other firms in the United States, joins with the South African firm, Abrahams Kiewitz, in filing a complaint that seeks to hold businesses responsible for aiding and abetting the apartheid regime in South Africa in furtherance of the commission of the crimes of apartheid, forced labor, genocide, extrajudicial killing, torture, sexual assault, and unlawful detention...For example: IBM and ICL provided the computers that enabled South Africa to create the hated “pass book system” and to control the black South African population. Car manufacturers provided the armored vehicles that were used to patrol the townships. Arms manufacturers violated the embargoes on sales to South Africa, as did the oil companies. The banks provided the funding that enabled South Africa to expand its police and security apparatus. (law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, 12 Nov. 2002)

• Summary of the Complaint - Khulumani et al. v. Barclays et al. (law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, 12 Nov. 2002)

Most employers feel vulnerable to being sued for causing stress [UK] - More than 80 per cent of employers feel vulnerable to being sued for causing workplace stress, even though a landmark appeal court decision has strengthened their legal defences. (Bob Sherwood, Financial Times, 6 Nov. 2002)

Asbestos litigation overwhelms courts [USA] -...Not enough of the money is getting into the hands of people who have suffered, said Mickey Kilbane, a Cleveland asbestos worker critical of corporate bankruptcies and fat lawyer fees. (Stephen Hudak & John F. Hagan, Plain Dealer [USA], 5 Nov. 2002)

US court refuses to dismiss Vectren pollution case - An Indiana judge refused to dismiss a federal lawsuit against Vectren Corp. that accuses the utility of failing to install costly anti-pollution equipment at its aging coal-fired plants. (Reuters, 4 Nov. 2002)

Kodak Fires Worker For Anti-Gay Message [USA] - Eastman Kodak Co., known for its support of a diverse workforce, is under fire for firing an employee for disagreeing with the company's position on supporting gay and lesbian workers...Recent lawsuits against AT&T and Verizon Communications involved employees who felt they were being unfairly reprimanded for not supporting the companies' respective diversity policies. (C Lisotta, Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network, 31 Oct. 2002)

• Kodak Manager's Firing Ignites Christian Right [USA] - Eastman Kodak Co. is fielding both praise and protest for its decision to fire an employee who sent an email to about 1,000 Kodak employees in which he described National Coming Out Day as "disgusting and offensive." (Gfn.com News [Gay Financial Network], 30 Oct. 2002)

EEOC settles sexual harassment lawsuit against Denny's - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Denny's, Inc. for $135,000 to be paid to an 18-year-old female former employee at a restaurant in Carbondale, Illinois. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 30 Oct. 2002)

Sexual harassment suit settled [USA] - Ron Clark Ford settled a male-on-male sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $140,000 last week (Thomas Doyle, Amarillo Globe-News, 30 Oct. 2002)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] racial harassment suit against Texas drilling company [TMBR/Sharp Drilling] settles for $859,000: Employees Allegedly Subjected to Hangman's Nooses and Nazi Symbols at Drilling Site (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 29 Oct. 2002)

Ex-steel worker wins £500,000 damages [UK] - Christopher Simmons injured his head on a metal stanchion after falling while working as a burner at British Steel's Clyde Bridge Works in Cambuslang more than six years ago. (BBC News, 29 Oct. 2002)

Asbestos victims' lawyers carry costs - UK-based company Cape plc reneged on more than just the settlement agreement it had with 7500 SA [South Africa] victims suffering from asbestos-related disease, says London lawyer for the claimants Richard Meeran. Cape plc failed to pay more than £50000, being the costs of a medical review of the claimants, until forced to do after a judgment was obtained against the company. The £20000 in expenses incurred in setting up a trust fund in SA are still outstanding. (Business Day [South Africa], 28 Oct. 2002)

US, Solutia revise deal for faster PCBs clean up [USA] - The clean up of dangerous PCB chemicals from a former Monsanto Co. plant in Alabama will begin two years sooner than previously planned as part of a revised settlement...The revised terms of the settlement, which also involves Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia Corp., call for the Environmental Protection Agency instead of the companies to assess the risk to human health from the contaminated site (Reuters, 24 Oct. 2002)

Muslim ex-worker sues Chick-fil-A for discrimination [USA] - Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is disputing a Muslim employee's claim that he was fired for religious reasons. (Caroline Wilbert, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 23 Oct. 2002)

California supreme court decision potentially devastating for corporate responsibility reporting and SRI funds worldwide - The decision by the California courts against Nike [in the case of Kasky v Nike, relating to Nike's public defense of allegations of “sweatshop” labour in its Asian factories] has created a great deal of uncertainty among US corporations, reports Peter Clarke (Peter Clarke, Director of SRIMedia, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 17 Oct. 2002)

Gencor mum on asbestos case [South Africa] - Gencor, the mining holding company, said that until it had papers served upon it in South Africa, it had no comment on the decision by the English High Court to include Gencor as a co-defendant in the asbestos case of Cape plc, the UK building materials company. (Justin Brown, Business Day [South Africa], 16 Oct. 2002)

• Miners take Cape Plc back to court [South Africa/UK] - Lawyers for sick South African miners said on Monday they would return to court in London on Tuesday in a bid to get building materials firm Cape Plc to honour a settlement it reached with former employees. (Reuters, 14 Oct. 2002)

Cape avoids justice again - ACTSA [Action for Southern Africa] campaigners protested today outside the Royal Courts of Justice to express their outrage and disappointment at the collapse of the out-of-court settlement between Cape Plc and the 7,500 South African asbestos claimants, which was made last December. (ACTSA - Action for Southern Africa, 15 Oct. 2002) 

Ikorodu Factory Fire: Judicial Panel Inaugurated [Nigeria] - A panel of inquiry to look into the September 16, Ikorodu rubber factory fire disaster, with a view to unraveling the cause and preventing a reoccurrence, has been inaugurated by the Lagos State government. (Tokunbo Adedoja, ThisDay News [Nigeria], 15 Oct. 2002)

Outcome in Saipan labor case welcomed - The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association issued a press release yesterday to say that it is pleased with the outcome of a lawsuit that alleged sweatshop conditions in the Saipan garment industry. (Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno, Pacific Daily News, 15 Oct. 2002)

Activists bring their complaints home to Taiwan - DISPUTE: US workers for plants owned by Taiwan's Koo's Group are angry and they have brought their grievances across the Pacific to Koo's doorstep - Hundreds of labor and environmental activists from 16 countries yesterday protested in front of the Taiwan Cement Corp building in Taipei to urge the Koo's Group to solve disputes involving one of its subsidiaries in the US. The protesters claim that Koo's Group's Continental Carbon Co violated environmental protection and labor rights laws [in USA] (Chiu Yu-Tzu, Taipei Times, 10 Oct. 2002)

US top court rejects appeal over cyanide poisoning - The U.S. Supreme Court let stand this week the conviction of an Idaho fertilizer company's owner and his 17-year prison sentence, the longest ever for an environmental crime, for improper disposal of hazardous cyanide waste that left an employee with permanent brain damage. (Reuters, 9 Oct. 2002) 

Schroders faces ageism suit [UK] - Michael Dobson, chief executive of fund management group Schroders, has been accused of firing the head of the firm's US operation because she was too old for the job at 55. (Jill Treanor, Guardian [UK], 9 Oct. 2002)

• Banking giant faces £20 million 'ageism' lawsuit [UK] - British investment bank Schroders is facing a multi-million-pound lawsuit claiming the firm discriminates on the grounds of age. (Ananova, 9 Oct. 2002)

3 win discrimination suit: $450,000 awarded to black salesmen fired by car dealer [USA] - Three black salesmen who were fired by an Arapahoe County dealership [Centennial Chrysler Plymouth dealership was owned by the Moreland Automotive Group] on Martin Luther King Day will share $450,000 as part of a race discrimination settlement. (John Accola, Rocky Mountain News, 9 Oct. 2002)

Arsenic lawsuits get under US wood treaters' skin -...Walker is one of a growing number of consumers who blame U.S. wood products makers for injuries they received from wood treated with a compound containing arsenic, a known carcinogen...companies that have made or sold wood treated with the arsenic compound - including forest products heavyweights Georgia Pacific Corp. and Universal Forest Products Inc. - are becoming targets of a growing wave of litigation [also refers to Home Depot] (Nichola Groom, Reuters, 8 Oct. 2002)

SA asbestos lawyers could face dilemma: Gencor may seek redress from Cape [South Africa] - Lawyers for the 7500 SA victims suffering from asbestos-related diseases will ask the British High Court next week to make Gencor a co-defendant in proceedings against UK-based company Cape plc. (Business Day [South Africa], 8 Oct. 2002)

Exelon settles worker discrimination case with NRC [USA] - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said last week it reached a settlement agreement with Exelon Nuclear Generation Co. in a discrimination case involving a former employee who raised concerns about safety at a nuclear power plant in Illinois. An NRC investigation found that an Exelon manager deliberately discriminated against the employee on Aug. 25, 2000, by not picking him for a new job. (Reuters, 7 Oct. 2002)

Wal-Mart ponders appeal in LV [Las Vegas] case: Retail giant says it obeys labor laws [USA] - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., arguing it obeys federal labor laws, said its lawyers are considering whether to appeal a ruling by a federal officer that found the giant retailer violated labor laws in its fight against a national union organizing drive originating at 14 Las Vegas stores. (Grace Leong, Las Vegas Sun, 7 Oct. 2002)

Justices turn away asbestos fight [USA] - The Supreme Court has refused again to get involved in a dispute over a giant asbestos trial in West Virginia that big corporations claimed could cost them millions. The court in September refused to stop the trial from starting and then said today it would not review arguments from Mobil Corp. and other large companies that the large trial was unconstitutional. (Associated Press, 7 Oct. 2002)

Automakers struggle to stem harassment: Part 1 - Race, sex complaints persist despite training [USA] [refers to General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Mitsubishi] (Susan Carney, Detroit News, 6 Oct. 2002)

• Automakers struggle to stem harassment: Part 2 - Worker training (Susan Carney, Detroit News, 6 Oct. 2002)

Smithfield unit must pay $1.5M for sex harassment [USA] - A unit of meat giant Smithfield Foods Inc. has been ordered to pay $1.5 million to an ex-employee who claims she was sexually harassed at an Iowa pork plant. (Michael Davis, The Virginian-Pilot, 5 Oct. 2002)

Rent-A-Center to Pay $47M to Women [USA] - A judge approved a $47 million settlement Friday for thousands of women who claim they were unfairly denied or driven out of jobs with the nation's largest operator of rent-to-own stores. (Associated Press, 5 Oct. 2002)

• Sex discrimination settlement approved [USA] -...Dozens of Indiana women will share in the $47 million settlement of multiple sexual discrimination lawsuits against Texas-based Rent-A-Center. A federal judge in St. Louis approved the settlement Friday, resolving pervasive claims that the national lease-to-own furniture and appliance dealer treated women like second-class citizens. (Gregory Weaver, Indianapolis Star, 5 Oct. 2002)

Jury awards former smoker $28 billion in punitive damages [USA] - Philip Morris Inc. says it will ask a court to set aside or reduce a record $28 billion in punitive damages awarded to a cancer-stricken 64-year-old former smoker. (Gary Gentile, Associated Press, 5 Oct. 2002)

Iowa Harassment Suit Settled for $1.5M [USA] - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced a $1,525,000 settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit against DeCoster Farms. The EEOC had pursued the suit on behalf of women who alleged they were subjected to sexual harassment - including rape - along with other forms of abuse and retaliation by certain supervisors at DeCoster's plants in Wright County, Iowa (HR Daily News, 4 Oct. 2002)

EPA, Justice announce Minnesota ethanol settlement - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department this week announced a settlement with 12 Minnesota ethanol plants for alleged Clean Air Act violations (Reuters, 4 Oct. 2002)

Kings, ex-execs settle suit: Terms are kept secret over sexual harassment allegations [USA] - The Sacramento Kings and two former executives have settled a former employee's sexual harassment lawsuit for undisclosed terms. (Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 3 Oct. 2002)

UK fights landmark older worker ruling - The UK government is to appeal against a "landmark" tribunal decision, which could mean that hundreds of thousands of people working past the age of 65 could get new work rights. (Sarah Toyne, BBC News, 2 Oct. 2002)

Iscor faces court action on pollution - A South African High Court has begun hearing an application by families seeking a court order to stop giant steel producer Iscor from allegedly polluting their underground water sources. (Reuters, 2 Oct. 2002)

Pensacola auto dealership accused in racial harassment suit [USA] - An auto dealership [Centennial Imports Inc.] is accused in a federal lawsuit of failing to stop employees from harassing black workers by using racial slurs, jokes and epithets, and displaying a hangman's noose in a work area. (Associated Press, 1 Oct. 2002)

City analyst loses sex discrimination case [UK] -...Ms Barton, 52, claimed she was underpaid by £1m compared with a male colleague, and took her employer – Investec Henderson Crosthwaite Securities – to an employment tribunal. But yesterday, after three months of deliberation following a four-day hearing, the tribunal ruled against her claim of sexual discrimination and unequal pay. (Terri Judd, Independent [UK], 1 Oct. 2002)

Wal-Mart faulted for LV [Las Vegas] anti-union tactics [USA] - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated labor laws in its fight against a national union organizing drive originating at 14 Las Vegas stores, a federal official has ruled. (Grace Leong, Las Vegas Sun, 30 Sep. 2002)

Asbestos claim case takes new twist with Gencor: Workers to challenge company's unbundling [South Africa] - The case brought by 7500 SA mineworkers against UK multinational Cape plc took a new twist last Friday when London lawyers joined forces with SA lawyers to challenge the terms of Gencor's proposed unbundling.  Gencor's shareholders are scheduled to meet on Wednesday on whether or not to approve the proposal which provides R409m for the costs of defending asbestos claims, but no provision to compensate victims. (Business Day [South Africa], 30 Sep. 2002)

Activist 'was unfairly demoted' [UK] - A leading union activist sacked from his job as train driver [by South West Trains] for speeding offences was unfairly demoted, an industrial tribunal ruled today...The tribunal decided Mr Tucker had been "singled out for his trade union activities..." (Dick Murray, Evening Standard [UK], 30 Sep. 2002)

Trailblazers pay 'in blood' for legal action on rights [Australia] - Employers must be flexible enough to accommodate their workers' family responsibilities or risk legal action, lawyers are warning after women successfully took their bosses to court. The law protecting working women's rights has become considerably clearer over the past year following a series of legal victories by trailblazers who took on their companies. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

Five years off for parents: new test case [Australia] - Employers would have to hold open the jobs of working parents for up to five years after the birth of a child under a union test case to extend unpaid maternity leave. In a far-reaching bid to entrench working parents' rights in the industrial system, the case will also claim parents are entitled to part-time work, flexible hours and extra holidays. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

For anti-sweatshop activists, recent settlement [by apparel companies in lawsuit over labour rights in Saipan] is only tip of iceberg - "While we have some significant victories like the Saipan one, companies at the same time are moving in the opposite direction, continuing to gravitate toward countries with as few safeguards for workers' rights as possible,"...in 2005...Retailers are expected to switch their manufacturing outsourcing from Saipan and other relatively high-cost locales to China, where wages are rock-bottom, labor abuses are ignored and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is a compliant tool of the government. (Robert Collier, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Sep. 2002)

Clothiers fold on sweatshop lawsuit Saipan workers to get millions; Levi holds out (Robert Collier & Jenny Strasburg, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2002)

Staff accuse communications Fiji Radio Group of harassment over union - The Fiji Public Service Association has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Labor after workers of Communications (Fiji) Ltd. claimed they were being harassed after signing up to join the union (Daily Post/Fijilive/Pacific Media Watch, 27 Sep. 2002)

Shell faces litigation - Fourteen individual plaintiffs filed a class action suit [in a U.S. court] against Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport, plc, on September 20 for alleged human rights abuses in Ogoniland, Nigeria...the complaint alleges that Shell knowingly instigated, planned and facilitated in unprovoked attacks by the former Nigerian military government against the unarmed residents of Ogoniland, resulting in murder and gross human rights abuses. (Tomorrow: Your sustainable business toolkit, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Berger & Montague, P.C. Files Class Action Complaint Against Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport, p.l.c. - Shell is charged with purchasing ammunition and using its helicopters and boats and providing logistical support for "Operation Restore Order in Ogoniland" a military foray into Ogoniland designed to terrorize the civilian population into ending peaceful protests against Shell's environmentally unsound oil exploration and extraction activities in Ogoniland. (Berger & Montague, 23 Sep. 2002)

Seven More Retailers Settle Lawsuits Involving Workers in Saipan - Seven U.S. retailers [Gap, Target, Abercrombie & Fitch, Talbot's, J.C. Penney, Limited and Charming Shoppes Inc.'s Lane Bryant] settled a federal and California state class-action lawsuit alleging violations of workers' rights in Saipan garment factories in the U.S.'s Northern Mariana Islands. (Dow Jones Business News, 26 Sep. 2002)

• U.S. Clothing Retailers on Saipan Settle Landmark Workers' Rights Lawsuit - Retailers and Manufacturers to Fund Groundbreaking Independent Monitoring Program To Improve Labor Conditions on U.S. Territory -...The seven U.S. retailers - Abercrombie & Fitch, Target, Gap, Inc., J.C. Penney Company, Inc., Lane Bryant, Inc., The Limited, Inc., and Talbots, Inc. - join 19 other retailers that had previously settled. (Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Gap Settles Garment Workers Lawsuit - Retailer Gap Inc. on Thursday said it is settling all claims it is facing in a suit alleging violations of wage and hour laws and other workers' rights in Saipan garment factories in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. Gap, the largest U.S. specialty apparel retailer, said it joined six other U.S. clothing retailers and 23 Saipan garment manufacturers in reaching a global settlement in the federal class-action lawsuit. (Reuters, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Statement From Lead Attorney for Workers in Saipan Human Rights Case in Response to Target's Dispute of Lawsuit Allegations - While Target claims that the lawsuit alleging violations of wage and hour laws and other workers' rights is baseless, we will let the facts stand for themselves. (Al Meyerhoff, Partner at Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes and Lerach, 26 Sep. 2002)

• Target Dismissed from Garment Factory Lawsuits; Company Asserts Class Action Abuse (Target Corp., 26 Sep. 2002) 

Panel rates Coke on diversity [USA] - Coca-Cola has been promoting women and minorities at a faster rate than white men, but a court-appointed task force still found that many minority workers believe they are treated less fairly...The report on the workplace climate at Coca-Cola, issued Wednesday, comes nearly two years after the company settled a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit. (Scott Leith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 26 Sep. 2002)

Court OKs gay man's suit against MGM Grand [USA] - A divided federal appeals court has ruled that an openly gay man is entitled to bring a sexual harassment lawsuit under the U.S. Civil Rights Act, even though all his accused tormentors were fellow male employees. (Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun, 25 Sep. 2002)

Fannie Mae Sued for Discrimination [USA] - A mortgage applicant has sued mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae in U.S. District Court for discrimination, alleging she was denied credit because of the company's automated credit scoring system..."The credit scoring model used by Fannie Mae is inherently discriminatory in that it contains racially discriminatory assumptions that are embedded in the statistical formulas," Rahmaan's lawyers said in her lawsuit. (Mark Felsenthal, Reuters, 25 Sep. 2002)

Alaska villagers sue Teck Cominco over pollution [USA] - Residents of Kivilina, an Inupiat Eskimo village on Alaska's northwestern coast, sued Teck Cominco Ltd. , charging the company with 2,171 federal water-pollution violations at its Red Dog Mine, the world's largest zinc producer. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 23 Sep. 2002)

Holding Businesses and Burma's Government Responsible for Human Rights Abuses -...the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) is using American courts to enforce international human rights standards and punish multinational corporations that abuse them...The suit charges that Unocal knowingly used forced labor for the pipeline, which was completed in 1998. (Terry Collingsworth, Open Society News, fall/winter 2002-3)

• company website: The Yadana Project in Myanmar: The Story You Haven't Heard About the Activists' Lawsuits (Unocal)

Judge links US tobacco lawsuits - A federal court judge has unleashed an ambitious campaign against the US tobacco industry by certifying a nationwide punitive-damage class-action suit against several cigarette makers. (Jonathan Moules, Financial Times, 21 Sep. 2002)

• Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Fall After Claim Ruling [USA] - Philip Morris Cos. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc. shares fell after a federal judge in New York allowed claims against the two largest U.S. cigarette makers to proceed as a class-action lawsuit...The case is the first time a judge has consolidated all tobacco- related litigation before him to include the punitive-damage claims of every plaintiff including individual smokers, labor unions and health insurers (Courtney Schlisserman, Bloomberg, 20 Sep. 2002)

Aids lobbyists tackle drug giants [South Africa] -...AIDS activists lodged complaints against two pharmaceutical giants yesterday, accusing them of over-pricing their medicines and causing thousands of deaths. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) AIDS lobby group and others lodged the complaints against GlaxoSmithKline, which has its headquarters in Britain, and Boehringer Ingelheim, of Germany, with South Africa's Competition Commission.  (AFP, in Business Day [South Africa], 20 Sep. 2002)

• Drug companies come under fire - Complaint to commission may leave drug companies open to public scrutiny Science and Education Correspondent -...The complaint, brought by AIDS activists, trade unionists, health care professionals and individuals living with HIV/AIDS, alleges that Glaxo and Boehringer are currently charging prices in excess of the economic value of their drugs. (Business Day [South Africa], 20 Sep. 2002)

Taking on the drug giants [South Africa] - Nontsikelelo Zwedala, an HIV-positive squatter from Philippi in the Western Cape, has joined the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in a move to force two pharmaceutical giants to cut the cost of their Aids drugs. They have filed papers with the Competition Commission, alleging monopolistic abuse of patent power. (Nawaal Deane, Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 19 Sep. 2002)

South Africa: Gagging order lifted - Pollution row goes to open court -...The residents of Vanderbijlpark's Steel Valley say the giant Iscor steel producer - Africa's largest - has polluted their water, degraded their environment and brought sickness to their families for forty years - and they want compensation for their plight. (Index on Censorship, 19 Sep. 2002)

Plaintiffs Win Ninth Circuit Victory over Unocal - On September 18, 2002, the [U.S.] Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a landmark decision against Unocal Corp, allowing plaintiffs to proceed to trial in federal court on their claims that they were forced to labor on Unocal’s pipeline project in Burma. (International Labor Rights Fund, 18 Sep. 2002)

• full text of U.S. court decision ordering Unocal to stand trial for human rights abuses in Burma (decision by U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, 18 Sep. 2002)

Court Tells Unocal to Face Rights Charges - An appellate court said today that the Unocal Corporation must face a trial in the United States over claims of human-rights abuses involving villagers in Myanmar who worked on the company's $1.2 billion pipeline there. (Bloomberg News, in New York Times, 18 Sep. 2002)

• Unocal must face trial in Myanmar human rights suit - Oil giant Unocal Corp. must stand trial in a lawsuit by villagers in Myanmar who were allegedly subjected to forced labor, rape and murder by that country's military during construction of a gas pipeline, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday (Dan Whitcomb, Reuters, 18 Sep. 2002) 

• Unocal to Face Trial Alleging Human-Rights Abuses (Update3) (Karen Gullo, Bloomberg News, 18 Sep. 2002)

Asbestos Lawsuit Stays On Docket [USA] - The Supreme Court refused Monday to block a massive asbestos trial in West Virginia...The trial will combine the cases of some 8,000 people who claim asbestos exposure against 250 companies. (CBS News, 16 Sep. 2002)

Cape Plc fails to pay asbestos claimants [South Africa] - The lawyers of thousands of South Africans suffering from asbestos-related diseases said on Monday they would return to the United Kingdom High Court in an effort to force mining company Cape Plc to pay overdue settlement claims. (South African Press Association, in Business Report [South Africa], 16 Sep. 2002)  

• Cape plc's P5.6m goes to banks, not victims [South Africa] - Poor South Africans, thousands of them ill and dying, are unlikely to see a cent from the sale of the manufacturing division of Cape plc, the British multinational they hold responsible for their asbestos-related diseases. (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 16 Sep. 2002)

Report calls for laws on corporate killing [UK] - The Government is being urged to bring in legislation on corporate killing in a bid to improve safety in the workplace. A new report into recent work-related deaths in London said there was a clear need for laws to target company directors. (Ananova, 16 Sep. 2002)

Lead paint poses new legal threat for US companies -...Rhode Island, which has one of the highest rates of child lead poisoning in the nation, is suing some of the biggest names in U.S. manufacturing, including DuPont Co., the nation's No. 1 chemical company, and Sherwin-Williams Co., the No. 1 paint maker. Other defendants include Atlantic Richfield, which was acquired by BP Plc, Cytec Industries, NL Industries Inc. and a unit of ConAgra Foods. (David Howard Sinkman, Reuters, 12 Sep. 2002)

Wal-Mart's war on workers: Frontline report from South Carolina and Texas - Wal-Mart Corporate Union Buster Named for Violating Worker Rights - Giant Retailer Faces New Labor Board Complaints for Illegally Sabotaging Union Election - Wal-Mart Charged for Refusing to Bargain in Jacksonville, Texas (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 10 Sep. 2002)

• company website: Wal-Mart

Asbestos case: Bankers could be held liable [South Africa] - The bankers of Cape plc, the company that reached an out-of-court settlement with South African asbestosis victims last year, would be held personally responsible if it was proved they were responsible for reneging on the agreement, the victims' legal counsel said on Tuesday. The directors of the company and its bankers, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland, were formally notified of this on Tuesday (South African Press Association, 10 Sep. 2002)

Feds: Fine Phone Co. in Job Death [USA] - Federal regulators on Monday proposed fines totaling $55,500 against Verizon for numerous safety infractions that led to the electrocution of a telephone lineman in March. (AP, 9 Sep. 2002)

Army of Child Labour [UK] - A south Devon pub manager and his bosses have been fined more than £7,000 for employing children illegally. (Torquay Herald Express [UK], 7 Sep. 2002)

Colombia's War on Unions: The Coca-Cola Killings - The Coca-Cola killings in Colombia continue. Last week union activist Adolfo de Jesus Munera was murdered shortly after he received notice that a law suit filed by him against Coca-Cola was accepted by Colombia's Constitutional Court. (Maria Engqvist, CounterPunch, 6 Sep. 2002)

India to pursue extradition of Bhopal accused - India is determined to press the United States for the extradition of former Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson over a 1984 gas disaster that killed thousands, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday. (Reuters, 6 Sep. 2002)

Years pass, but tears still flow in India's Bhopal -...Although the Indian government's civil case against Union Carbide, which merged with U.S.-based Dow Chemical Co two years ago, was settled in 1989 for $470 million, criminal cases continue in Indian courts. (Maria Abraham, Reuters, 6 Sep. 2002)

Bell Canada settles pay equity case for $178 million - Bell Canada has tentatively settled a long-running pay equity dispute with thousands of its mainly female staff for $178 million. (CBC News, 4 Sep. 2002)

'Angolans should sue multinationals and banks' - Angolans must institute legal action against a host of western multinational companies and banking institutions which enabled that country's government to commit crimes of humanity against its people, a Namibian rights group said on Tuesday. (Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 3 Sep. 2002)

New legal campaign for smokefree space in hospitality industry [Australia] - A Western Sydney pub patron is about to take on his local pub in a campaign for smokefree space. (Australian Liquor, Hospitality & Miscellaneous Workers Union, 3 Sep. 2002) 

Asbestos Lawyers Hand Cape a Final Ultimatum to Pay [South Africa] - Lawyers acting on behalf of victims of Cape plc's asbestos operations on Monday handed the multi-national an ultimatum to comply with an out-of-court settlement. (South African Press Association, 2 Sep. 2002)

US blocks move to give powers to those threatened by multinationals: Poor countries seek redress over firms' damage - The United States is blocking human, environmental and freedom of information rights from being enshrined in the earth summit's plan of action in order to protect multinational companies from litigation and protests by the poor. The EU and developing countries such as Thailand, Uganda and Indonesia believe that giving communities the right to take on companies that pollute their environment and damage their health is fundamental to the aims of the summit. (Paul Brown, Guardian [UK], 29 Aug. 2002)

Powell's Awkward Position [USA/Aceh-Indonesia] -...A State Department ruling this month sent a shudder through the human rights community. Legal counsel William H. Taft IV asked U.S. District Judge Louis Oberdorfer to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Exxon Mobil of terrorizing Indonesian villagers who somehow thwart the world's biggest oil company. The suit, brought by the International Labor Rights Fund, cited murder, torture and rape. (Mary McGrory, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2002)

India: Court Upholds Charges Against US Executive for Bhopal Deaths - A court ruled that a former chairman of US-based Union Carbide should face culpable homicide charges over the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, rejecting the Indian government's attempt to dilute them to negligence. (Agence France Presse, 28 Aug. 2002)

Chinese activists take to the courts: Nascent 'green culture' is challenging authorities - and being heard - In the three years since he set up an environmental hotline, Wang Canfa [Director of the Beijing-based Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims] has heard thousands of heartbreaking horror stories from people who have seen their health or livelihoods imperiled by industrial pollution. (Ted Plafker, International Herald Tribune, 28 Aug. 2002)

Kentucky Bourbon King Faces Government Hearing On Denial Of Bathroom Access [USA] - Mothers, Menstruating Women and Older Workers Bear the Brunt of Jim Beams Bathroom Ban - Rally to Support Jim Beam Workers Noon, August 28 Shepherdsville, Kentucky - Almost half the workers, mostly women, on the Jim Beam bottling line in Clermont, Kentucky have been disciplined for using the bathroom, and some long time workers are even facing firing. According to worker reports, they were told to "train their bladders" to correspond to scheduled break periods and one unscheduled bathroom time; or face discipline, including dismissal. (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 27 Aug. 2002)

Senior Judges Adopt Ground-Breaking Action Plan to Strengthen World's Environment-Related Laws: World Summit on Sustainable Development Given Pioneering Principles for Fighting Poverty and Delivering Environmental Justice - An action plan to strengthen the development, use and enforcement of environment-related laws has been drawn up by over 100 of the world's most senior judges...Experts are convinced that the worldwide effort to crack down on pollution, challenge environmentally damaging developments and comply with agreements covering issues such as hazardous wastes and the trade in endangered species have been undermined partly as a result of weaknesses in many countries legal systems [includes text of The Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law and Sustainable Development adopted at the Global Judges Symposium held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 18-20 August 2002] (U.N. Environment Programme, 27 Aug. 2002)

• Judges pledge to champion environment - Lawyers from around the world promise a crackdown on developers who pollute - A panel of 127 senior judges from 62 countries admitted yesterday that many of the international laws designed to protect the environment and save species from destruction were "paper tigers" which had not been properly enforced. The panel which convened at the Johannesburg earth summit pledged to improve environmental law across the world and champion the poor in a battle for a better environment as part of their duty to defend human rights. (Paul Brown, Guardian [UK], 28 Aug. 2002)

Letter to Secretary Powell [U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell] Regarding Aceh Lawsuit [Indonesia] - We are writing to express our extreme concern with the July 29th opinion issued by the Office of the Legal Advisor of the US Department of State to the Honorable Louis F. Oberdorfer, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, in response to his request for the Department’s views in connection with the case Doe et.al. v. ExxonMobil...We view such a response from the State Department as an act that clearly subordinates human rights concerns to commercial interests. (letter to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell from 13 public interest groups, 26 Aug. 2002)

Korean shippers admit to years of oil dumping - A consortium of Korean shipping companies has admitted that its freighters sailing between Alaska and Asia illegally dumped oily waste at sea for years and will pay a $5 million fine, U.S. federal officials said. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 26 Aug. 2002)

Authorities in Alaska probe BP site blast [USA] - Alaskan authorities were yesterday investigating an explosion at BP's operation in the state, which seriously injured an operator and caused a spill that might jeopardise the terms of the company's federal probation with US authorities. (Sheila McNulty, Financial Times, 24 Aug. 2002)

Worker alleges bias by water firm - Claiming an air of “overt racial discrimination” against his employer, a black man has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Indiana-American Water Company. (Richard Grey, Post-Tribune [Indiana, USA], 23 Aug. 2002)

Court nixes GM harrassment verdict [USA] - A divided appeals court panel threw out a $1 million verdict for a woman who said she was sexually harassed at a General Motors plant, ruling that the treatment she received, while "boorish," did not create a hostile workplace. (Jim Suhr, Associated Press, 23 Aug. 2002)

Asbestos: jobs, profits and sustainable development - A hideous blue spectre hovers behind the cleaner, greener image being promoted on the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). It is the spectre of asbestos, a legacy of a greed-driven and uncaring past. (Terry Bell, Labour News Network, 22 Aug. 2002)

Former Supervisor for Robbins Hardwood Flooring Files Racial Discrimination Charges [USA] (PACE International Union, 22 Aug. 2002)

Suit accuses House of Blues of discrimination [USA] - A former bartender at the House of Blues restaurant in downtown Chicago has filed a federal lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against because of his Islamic faith following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Matt O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2002)

Amazon Indians lose appeal of Texaco case ruling - Rainforest Indians of Ecuador and Peru have lost an appeal aimed at reinstating nine-year-old litigation against Texaco, alleging that toxic dumping devastated their environment and exposed residents to cancer-causing pollutants. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed a trial court's ruling dismissing two class-action lawsuits on grounds that the United States was not the proper place for the litigation, and that Ecuador would be a more convenient location. (Gail Appleson, Reuters, 21 Aug. 2002)

Firm fined for chopped finger [New Zealand] - A Hamilton firm was fined $4800 yesterday after a young worker had part of a finger chopped off by a chocolate-making machine. (New Zealand Herald, 21 Aug. 2002)

Lenasia fire: Trial postponed [South Africa] - The trial of ESS Chemicals factory owner Suleman "Solly" Lachporia and his manager was on Tuesday postponed to November in the Lenasia regional court. They face a main charge of culpable homicide relating to the death of 11 employees including the supervisor who were killed while on night shift in Lachporia's factory in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, in November 2000 when a fire swept through the premises in which they were locked. (South African Press Association, 20 Aug. 2002)

Big business escapes rap in negligence trials [UK] - Prosecutions for work- related deaths have increased significantly in the last four years, according to new research. But convictions remain rare, with bigger businesses in particular appearing immune to liability for corporate manslaughter. (Jean Eaglesham, Financial Times, 20 Aug. 2002)

CLIMATE CHANGE: Firms, Investors Fret Over Costs, Liability -...the Times [New York Times] reported that companies are likely to face huge costs from climate change and could be sued by governments, investors and others if they fail to protect themselves against warming-related risks...Companies such as DuPont, BP and Ford have begun addressing climate change risk in annual reports and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and Dow says it is set to release a social responsibility report in which it charts its greenhouse gas emissions reductions for the first time. The Times reports that Swiss Re is considering denying coverage to firms that do not address the problem (UN Wire, 19 Aug. 2002)

Families file $100 trillion suit against Sudan, Saudis, claiming they financed Sept. 11 attack - The suit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., on behalf of some 600 families. It seeks "an amount in excess of $100 trillion" and charges the defendants with racketeering, wrongful death, negligence and conspiracy...The complaint names more than seven dozen defendants, including the government of Sudan, seven banks, eight Islamic foundations and three Saudi princes. Those listed include... Khalid bin Salim bin Mahfouz of the National Commercial Bank and the Faisal Islamic Bank. (Laurie Kellman, Associated Press, 16 Aug. 2002)

• Victims' compensation demand corrected - The lawyer for 700 relatives of Sept. 11 victims said Friday his clients will amend their lawsuit against Saudi officials and the Sudan government to correct a mistaken demand for $100 trillion. The actual damages being sought are more than $1 trillion....An official at Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation said the company has not been officially notified of the lawsuit but stressed it has nothing to hide. (Associated Press, 16 Aug. 2002)

• Saudi royals face trillion-dollar lawsuit over September 11 (Julian Borger, Guardian [UK], 16 Aug. 2002)

Marriott settles D.M. [Des Moines, Iowa] bias case [USA] - Marriott International will pay $115,000 and apologize for canceling the Des Moines convention reservation of an Arab-American group immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Madelaine Jerousek, Des Moines Register, 16 Aug. 2002)

• Marriott settles suit by Arab-Americans [USA] (United Press International, 16 Aug. 2002) 

What Value Is A Workers' Life? [New Zealand] - Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson slammed insignificant fines which undervalue workers’ lives today. Ross Wilson said the $30,000 fine against Crusader Meats for failing to keep a worker safe earlier this year was woefully inadequate. (New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, 15 Aug. 2002)

• $30,000 meat company fine goes to victim's kids [New Zealand] - The children of a woman crushed to death while cleaning a revolving door at a meat works will receive all of a $30,000 fine the company was ordered to pay today. (New Zealand Herald, 15 Aug. 2002)

Technicolor settles harassment suit [sexual harassment lawsuit] [USA] - Company ordered to pay $875,000 to 18 staffers at VHS duplication plant. (Daniel Frankel, Video Business, 14 Aug. 2002)

Worker compensated for illegal overtime [UK] - A 51-year-old woman has been awarded compensation for working an average of 71 hours a week in a newsagent's shop...It is believed to be the first time a UK company has been prosecuted for breaking the European Union's 48-hour working week rule. (BBC News, 14 Aug. 2002)

Revealed: Race hate 'exposed black workers to radiation at BNFL plant' - British Nuclear Fuels is being sued by black workers at an American plant who claim it shares responsibility for deliberately assigning jobs that exposed them to almost twice as much radiation as their white colleagues in an environment of "hostile racism". (Marie Woolf, Andrew Buncombe & Solomon Hughes, Independent [UK], 13 Aug. 2002)

• Unions [UK unions] back US nuclear staff over racism claim - Leaders of six unions representing staff at British Nuclear Fuels' UK plants condemned the "shameful treatment" of workers at a site in America [Westinghouse Savannah River Company in South Carolina] in which the company has a big financial stake. (Marie Woolf, Independent [UK], 14 Aug. 2002)

Firms fined after workplace accident [New Zealand] - Two Christchurch companies [Jenkins Biolabs & Soiltech Limited] were yesterday fined $20,000 after a factory worker was severely burnt when he slipped while pouring concentrated sulphuric acid into a vat. (The Press [New Zealand], 13 Aug. 2002)

Workers get £3.9M payouts [UK] - Victims of unlawful discrimination at work won a record £3.9million in compensation last year. The Equal Opportunities Review said there were 329 payouts - up 10 per cent from the previous year. The biggest settlement for a sex discrimination case went to a woman sacked because she was pregnant. Marks & Spencer clothes suppliers Bentwood Brothers had to pay her £190,663. (Daily Record [UK], 12 Aug. 2002)

Women who toiled in Eveleth Mines waited two decades for justice [USA] - Lois Jenson drove through three feet of snow to begin her new job at the Eveleth Mines on March 25, 1975...She never dreamed that her name would eventually be on the nation's first sexual-harassment class-action lawsuit (Mary Ann Grossmann, Knight Ridder, 11 Aug. 2002)

Ocala jury rules Florida Power innocent of age discrimination [USA] - A federal jury has ruled that Florida Power Corp. did not discriminate against a dozen older workers who were fired seven years ago. (Daytona Beach News-Journal, 11 Aug. 2002)

Motel maid wins $19,650 in sexual harassment suit [USA] -...The lawsuit had been filed against Rest Well Corp., doing business as a Quality Inn/Econo Lodge, and YTD Brothers, doing business as a Days Inn (Sara Lee Fernandez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 10 Aug. 2002)

Former Buca executive files discrimination suit [USA] - A former senior vice president at Buca Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain and its chief executive, alleging she was told she could not keep her job if she got married. (Ann Merrill, Star Tribune [Minneapolis-St. Paul], 10 Aug. 2002)

{···français} Un pipe-line sème maladies et pollutions en Amazonie - En Équateur, l’oléoduc «El sote» est une catastrophe de 500 kilomètres de long. Gigantesque serpent de métal, le Système d’oléoduc transéquatorien (SOTE) a été construit dans les années septante sous l’impulsion de la Texaco. Depuis 1993, la compagnie américaine est poursuivie en justice par les communautés amérindiennes de l’Équateur, mais aussi du Pérou, pour pollution grave de la forêt amazonienne. Le verdict sera rendu cet automne. (Le Courrier [Genève], 9 août 2002)

Unocal wants government to quash labour lawsuit - Unocal, the US oil company, told a California court yesterday that American foreign policy interests could be harmed by a lawsuit that alleges the company used forced labour in Burma. The move comes just days after the US government warned a Washington DC court that a pending lawsuit against Exxon Mobil over alleged abuses in Indonesia would hinder the war on terrorism and jeopardise foreign investment in a key ally. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 9 Aug. 2002)

• Judge Lets Unocal Ask State Dept. to Intervene in Myanmar Lawsuit - A Los Angeles judge Thursday granted a request by Unocal to ask the State Department to intervene in a lawsuit by Myanmar villagers who allege that the Myanmar military protecting a Unocal pipeline project dragooned villagers into slave labor, attorneys said. (Sonni Efron, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2002)

Workers take Xerox to court for 'blacks in a noose' discrimination [USA] - Black employees of Xerox in Cincinnati are bringing a federal court action against the company, claiming that black dolls with nooses round their necks were left in three of its branches, and that racist slurs were common. (Duncan Campbell, Guardian [UK], 9 Aug. 2002)

State high court rejects appeal by Boeing in hearing-loss case [USA] - Employers cannot reduce a disability award for job-related hearing loss because people of the worker's age generally suffer from age-related deafness, the Washington Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The case involved two Boeing workers who worked with riveting equipment, stamping presses and other loud machinery at the company's Renton plant for decades. (Associated Press, 9 Aug. 2002)

Ex-Trop worker accuses VP of sexual harassment [USA] - A former Tropicana Casino and Resort employee has filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired because he refused the sexual advances of a senior executive and because he complained about the alleged actions. (Joe Weinert, Press of Atlantic City, 9 Aug. 2002)

Workplace-bias curbs extended [Massachusetts, USA] - Law extends time to file complaints - A bill to extend the deadline for filing workplace bias and sexual harassment charges against employers has been signed into law, increasing the statute of limitations for such claims in Massachusetts from six months to 300 days. (Diane E. Lewis, Boston Globe, 9 Aug. 2002)

Groups Shocked as Officials Urge Judge to Back ExxonMobil - News that the [U.S.] State Department urged a federal court judge to dismiss the case after he asked about claims by ExxonMobil's lawyers that the lawsuit could compromise U.S. interests, particularly the 'war on terrorism', has shocked the human rights community. (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 8 Aug. 2002)

• Individuals struggle to hold corporations accountable for abuses -...despite the villagers' efforts, the US government has recently made an attempt to block the ExxonMobil lawsuit claiming that it will hurt US relations with Jakarta, whom they consider an important ally in their war against terror. (Shravanti Reddy, Digital Freedom Network, 8 Aug. 2002)

Xerox cited again for racial discrimination [USA] - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found that Xerox Corp. discriminated against black employees -- the second such finding in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. (Reuters, 8 Aug. 2002)

US judge directs United Airlines to hire, reimburse deaf mechanic - Five years of anger and frustration ended yesterday for a deaf airline mechanic when a federal judge ruled that United Airlines had papered over its discrimination with a flurry of sham reasons not to hire him. (Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe, 8 Aug. 2002)

Labor Officials Charge Nursing Home [USA] - A nursing home that accused union organizers of using voodoo to frighten its Haitian-American employees into joining has been accused by federal officials of mistreating workers. The National Labor Relations Board said last month it found evidence of spying on workers, threats and unfair dismissals at Mount Sinai-St. Francis Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Miami (Associated Press, 8 Aug. 2002)

Transvestite Sues Beauty School [USA] - A transvestite sued a Los Angeles beauty school Wednesday, claiming his application was rejected when school officials realized he was not a woman. The lawsuit, brought by a plaintiff known only as "Sandy," is the first of its kind under a 1979 city ordinance that prohibits businesses from discrimination based on sexual orientation, "Sandy's" attorney, Gloria Allred, told Reuters. (Reuters, 8 Aug. 2002)

ExxonMobil welcomes US backing on Aceh human rights lawsuit - Exxon Mobil Corp rejected suggestions that the US government had acted inappropriately in urging the dismissal of a lawsuit against the oil company over its operations in Indonesia. (AFX News, 8 Aug. 2002)

Text of the Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil: I [part 1 of 2] [lawsuit in U.S. court concerning the company's alleged conduct in Aceh]: The complete text of the disputed lawsuit against ExxonMobil for its alleged complicity in human rights abuses in Aceh province (Laksamana.Net [Indonesia], 8 Aug. 2002)

• Text of the Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil: II [Part 2 of 2] (Laksamana.Net [Indonesia], 8 Aug. 2002)

• ExxonMobil Responds - With the US government firmly on its side, energy giant ExxonMobil claims allegations of human rights abuses filed against it in a lawsuit on behalf of 11 villagers in Aceh province are groundless. (Laksamana.Net [Indonesia], 8 Aug. 2002)

U.S. Backs Oil Giant on Lawsuit in Indonesia - The State Department is urging a United States court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a human rights group against Exxon Mobil over its operations in a war-torn province of Indonesia. In response to a request by the corporation for an opinion, the department declared that pursuit of the case would harm Washington's campaign against terrorism. (Jane Perlez, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2002)

Asbestos victims' wait drags on [South Africa] - UK company Cape plc is expected to make payment of its first £11m to the 7500 SA victims of asbestos-related disease on August 20, according to lawyers for the victims. Late last week, however, Cape plc was unable to give a date for payment of the first instalment. The company was originally due to make the payment at the end of June, but this was delayed due to a major financial restructuring exercise. (Business Day [South Africa], 8 Aug. 2002)

Alcoa resolves Texas plant emissions allegations [USA] - Alcoa Inc. said on Wednesday that the world's No. 1 aluminum producer has resolved allegations it violated Texas and federal emissions violations and agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine. (Reuters, 8 Aug. 2002) 

Woman sacked for revealing UN links with sex trade: How a [UK] tribunal vindicated an investigator who blew whistle on workers in Bosnia -...After a two-year battle, an employment tribunal ruled yesterday that Ms Bolkovac was unfairly dismissed by DynCorp, an American company (Daniel McGrory, Times [UK], 7 Aug. 2002)

• Investigator wins UN sex abuse case - A human rights investigator, who insisted she was sacked for exposing the sexual abuse of women in Bosnia by her United Nations colleagues, had her claim of unfair dismissal upheld yesterday...She took her case against her employer, DynCorp, an American recruitment agency, to an industrial tribunal in Southampton, Hants [UK], because the company was governed by UK employment law. (Stewart Payne, Daily Telegraph [UK], 7 Aug. 2002)

• Sex-slave whistle-blowers vindicated: DynCorp, a private military powerhouse, fired two employees who complained that colleagues were involved in Bosnian forced-prostitution rings. The employees went to court -- and won. (Robert Capps, Salon.com, 6 Aug. 2002)

• Outside the law: Pending lawsuits allege that U.S. military contractors on duty in Bosnia bought and "owned" young women. But the accused men have never been -- and will never be -- brought to justice. [refers to DynCorp] (Robert Capps, Salon.com, 26 June 2002)

Harassment victim sues Burger King after attack [Colorado, USA] - The former general manager of a Longmont fast-food franchise is suing the restaurant's owners, alleging they should have protected her from being racially harassed and assaulted by a customer. (Matt Sebastian, Daily Camera [USA], 7 Aug. 2002)

Evian bottler settles inherited discrimination suit [USA] - Groupe Danone SA, the bottler of Evian water, will pay $1.25 million to settle claims of black delivery drivers who said they received less pay than their white counterparts...The federal agency began its investigation into what was then a McKesson Corp. unit after eight black employees in 1998 filed charges that the company assigned them less-profitable routes than their white colleagues. (Joyzelle Davis, Bloomberg News, 7 Aug. 2002)

Woman says boorish workplace jokes offended her [Canada] - A woman testified Tuesday she was sexually harassed at work when she had to endure her boss’s boorish jokes and witness other rude behaviour during three years with the Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association. (Peter McLaughlin, Daily News [Halifax, Canada], 7 Aug. 2002)

U.S./Indonesia: Bush Backtracks on Corporate Responsibility - The U.S. State Department has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the Exxon Mobil Corporation for its alleged complicity in human rights violations in Indonesia, raising questions about the Bush administration's commitment to corporate responsibility, Human Rights Watch said today..."It is the height of hypocrisy for the State Department to publicly promote human rights principles for the oil and gas industry and then tell a judge that scrutiny of an oil company's human rights record runs counter to foreign policy," said Roth [Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch] (Human Rights Watch, 7 Aug. 2002)

• U.S. Moves to Block Human-Rights Lawsuit Against Exxon Mobil - The U.S. has moved to block a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. for alleged human-rights abuses at its Indonesian natural-gas operations, claiming the court action could hurt relations with Jakarta and undermine the war on terrorism. (Tom Wright, Dow Jones Newswires, 6 Aug. 2002)

• US tries to halt rights suit against Exxon - The US is trying to quash a human rights lawsuit launched by Indonesian villagers against Exxon Mobil, claiming it could undermine the war on terrorism. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 5 Aug. 2002)

• full text of U.S. State Department letter: Text of State Department Opinion Regarding ExxonMobil Litigation [download from homepage of International Labor Rights Fund, under section entitled "New in News and Press"] (letter from U.S. State Dept. Legal Adviser to Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer, 29 July 2002)

Lawyers Say Drug Makers Knew of Diluted Products [USA] - Internal documents show that two drug companies knew that a pharmacist was diluting cancer drugs as long as three years before his arrest, lawyers for patients said in a court motion filed on Monday. The motion said neither, Eli Lilly & Company nor the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company told the government of their discovery about the pharmacist, Robert Courtney, leading to untimely deaths for "countless cancer patients."...Judy Kay Moore, a spokeswoman for Eli Lilly, dismissed the new accusations, saying, "These plaintiffs' attorneys have cut and pasted, embellished and mischaracterized the documents and sworn testimony." Bristol-Myers did not return phone calls from The Associated Press for comment. (Associated Press, in New York Times, 7 Aug. 2002) 

Shell denies supported SAfrica's apartheid regime - Shell Petroleum Co denied allegations it was supportive of the apartheid regime, responding to news that the oil company is now included in a multi-billion class action lawsuit brought by US lawyers on behalf of the victims of South Africa's former regime. (AFX News, 6 Aug. 2002)

Asbestosis victims wait for their millions [South Africa] - Mining company Cape plc is still unable to give a date for the payout of £11-million (about R175-million) in damages due to the 7 500 victims of asbestosis contracted from the company's mines in the Northern Cape. (Peter Fabricius, The Star [South Africa], 5 Aug. 2002)

Discrimination suits take big risks for big rewards [USA] - Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore is among a dozen or so law firms nationwide that have become part of a cottage industry in class-action lawsuits against large employers, alleging racial bias in their hiring, promotion and pay practices. The law firms...also sue on behalf of workers who believe they are being denied equal opportunity because of gender, age, disability and other factors. (Robert Luke, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5 Aug. 2002)

Company agrees to settlement of discrimination charges [USA] - The nation's largest commercial printer [R.R. Donnelley & Sons] has agreed to spend $610,000 to settle allegations that it inadvertently discriminated against minority job applicants at two of its Pennsylvania printing plants. (Associated Press, 5 Aug. 2002)

US holocaust lawyer to aid apartheid reparation -...Meanwhile the class action lawsuit against various banks and corporations that "profiteered" from apartheid will start in New York on August 9, the leader of the legal team leader, US attorney Ed Fagan, announced on Saturday. (SAPA, in Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 5 Aug. 2002)

Who is to blame if employees kill? [USA] - In aftermath of brutal slaying, Zapp family hopes to highlight the issue of background checks -...As crime victims increasingly try to hold companies accountable for the actions of their employees, they have a tough time proving their cases in court. (Michele Kurtz, Boston Globe, 4 Aug. 2002)

EOC launches new website for legal advisers [UK] - Legal advisers will now have on-line access to the essential information on sex discrimination and equal pay that they need to conduct a claim, as the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) launches a new website designed specially for them. The first section of the site to go live focuses on sexual harassment. (Equal Opportunities Commission [UK], 2 Aug. 2002)

Factory Defies Order to Rehire Worker Fired in Overtime Inquiry [USA] - A garment worker who was fired during a federal investigation that found that she and other workers had been wrongly denied overtime was turned away by her employer [Danmar Finishing Corporation] yesterday in violation of a court order directing the Brooklyn factory to rehire her (Jason Begay, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2002)

Shell faces South Africa apartheid lawsuits - Royal Dutch/Shell, the oil company, is to be cited in a multi-billion-dollar class action lawsuit brought by a team of lawyers on behalf of the victims of South Africa's apartheid regime, a lawyer said on Friday...Shell, which is accused of supplying the white minority regime with oil in violation of an anti-apartheid embargo, will be added to the list, which already includes IBM, the computer company, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, CommerzBank, UBS, Credit Suisse and Citicorp. (Nicol Degli Innocenti, Financial Times, 2 Aug. 2002)

Victory for mother demoted after pregnancy [Australia] -...In the Federal Court yesterday Justice James Allsop found she had been demoted and "somewhat arrogantly and shabbily" treated because she went on maternity leave. In what her solicitor, Susan Price, described as a precedent, Orica was found to have unlawfully discriminated against Ms Thomson on the grounds of pregnancy (Leonie Lamont, Sydney Morning Herald, 31 July 2002)

Watson's Testimony Leads to Reinstatement of Unlawfully Fired Overnite Workers [USA] - Unlawful Termination of Union Supporters Exposed As Overnite’s Fraudulent Claim It Remedied Unlawful Conduct - In a decision issued by an Administrative Law Judge for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Overnite Transportation Company, the trucking subsidiary of Union Pacific (UP), has been ordered to reinstate and pay lost wages plus interest to eight unlawfully fired Overnite workers at the company’s Memphis terminal. (Teamsters, 30 July 2002)

Fat Americans sue fast food firms - A group of overweight Americans have sued several US fast food giants accusing them of knowingly serving meals that cause obesity and disease. The lawsuit - filed in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx - says that McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken misled customers by enticing them with greasy, salty and sugary food. (BBC News, 25 July 2002)

PACE Intl Union Files Federal Lawsuit Against Continental Carbon over Violations of Environmental Laws in Oklahoma [USA] - The Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) today filed a lawsuit against Houston-based Continental Carbon Company. The company is majority owned by Taiwan-based China Synthetic Rubber Company and Taiwan Cement Corp. The federal lawsuit...charges Continental Carbon with past and continuing violations of federal hazardous waste laws through the unsafe, improper and unauthorized operation of its Ponca City carbon black plant in Kay County, Okla. (Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union, 23 July 2002)

Sasol capitulates in dispute with ill worker [South Africa] - Sasol, the synthetic fuel producer faced with contempt of court proceedings tomorrow for refusing to reinstate a worker who was dismissed when he became ill from exposure to toxic chemicals, has capitulated and agreed to rehire the man. (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 22 July 2002)

Jury clears Exxon Mobil of additional Valdez costs [USA] (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 19 July 2002)  

US utility pollution cases going forward - The Bush administration is pressing ahead with lawsuits against eight electric utilities despite its plan to relax air pollution rules for aging coal-fired power plants (Chris Baltimore, Reuters, 18 July 2002)

US sues Shell, Saudi venture over tank explosion - The U.S. Justice Department said this week it had filed suit against a joint venture of Shell Oil Co. and Saudi Refining Inc., accusing the company of "gross negligence" that led to a deadly tank explosion last year...which killed one person and injured eight others. (Reuters, 17 July 2002)

Exxon Under Fire in Indonesia -...Exxon Mobil is also the object of a lawsuit filed on behalf of villagers who accuse the company of turning a blind eye to brutality by Indonesian soldiers, who have a long history of human rights abuses and have been paid to ensure the plant's security. The company denies the charges. But the suit and Exxon Mobil's travails in Indonesia encapsulate the problems faced by big companies that do business under the protection of ill-trained foreign armies, in places where the United States has strategic interests. (Jane Perlez, Moscow Times, 16 July 2002)

Corporate Human Rights -...For several years, a small group of lawyers and labor advocates has been trying to hold transnational companies responsible for their actions by suing them in the United States for abetting and/or benefiting from human rights abuses overseas. Finally, these corporation-chasers are beginning to see signs of possible success. [refers to lawsuits against Unocal, Shell, Texaco, Rio Tinto, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, DynCorp, Drummond Company, ExxonMobil] (David Corn, The Nation, 15 July 2002)

Environmental groups fight Tessenderlo unit licence [Belgium] - Three environmental groups, including Greenpeace, have launched legal action to withdraw an environmental licence granted to Belgian chemicals company Tessenderlo's LVM due to health risks (Reuters, 15 July 2002) 

Indonesia's Guerrilla War Puts Exxon Under Siege -...Exxon Mobil is also the object of a lawsuit filed on behalf of villagers who accuse the company of turning a blind eye to brutality by Indonesian soldiers, who have a long history of human rights abuses and have been paid to provide the plant's security. (Jane Perlez, New York Times, 14 July 2002)

A Long Way to Find Justice: What Are Burmese Villagers Doing in a California Court? -...American judges have embraced the opportunity to hold multinational corporations responsible for perceived abuses that result from international trade and investment [includes reference to cases against Unocal, Gap Inc., J.C. Penney, Levi Strauss, the Limited]...Companies need to scrutinize the practices of their business partners -- how they treat workers and the environment, how they interact with local military and political authorities -- to determine whether they violate international standards or offend the conscience of U.S. courts. (Elliot Schrage, former Senior Vice President of Global Affairs at Gap Inc., in Washington Post, 14 July 2002)

Shadows of 'that night': the struggle for justice for Bhopal - A letter from Indra Sinha, pleading for justice for the victims of the Union Carbide gas disaster in India. (New Internationalist, 12 July 2002)

Cooper Cameron says sued over water contamination [USA] - Cooper Cameron Corp. said this week that it had been sued by a resident of Houston over contamination of underground water. The Houston-based maker of valves and other equipment for the oil and gas industry (Reuters, 11 July 2002)

Investment and Human Rights: The Era of Responsibility - As an American oil company [Unocal] heads to court [in USA] for alleged human-rights abuses in Burma, a new era of foreign investment begins in which firms must carefully consider the behaviour of their partners [also refers to lawsuits against Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil] (Murray Hiebert, Far Eastern Economic Review, 11 July 2002)

Bhopal Survivors Stage Protest Over Lessened Accusation - India Seeks to Reduce Charge Facing Ex-Union Carbide Boss...The [Indian] government has asked the Bhopal District Court to reduce the charges against Anderson from culpable homicide to negligence. (Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, 8 July 2002)

• Indian government goes soft on Bhopal crimes - Indians protest reduced charges for Union Carbide CEO (Greenpeace, 10 July 2002)

• Carbide Victims Oppose Move - Bhopal Gas Victims Oppose Move to Let Off Anderson (Basharat Peer, Rediff India, 11 July 2002)

Contractors could face responsibility for pollution incidents [UK] - Legal responsibility for pollution incidents and serious failures in water quality standards could soon be borne by contractors as well as water companies, reports Malcolm Hallsworth, Editor of Water and Waste Treatment magazine. (Edie News, 5 July 2002)

Banks and Human Rights: Should Swiss Banks Be Liable For Lending To South Africa's Apartheid Government? (Anita Ramasastry, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law, in FindLaw, 3 July 2002)

Plight of Peru town dim after mine's mercury spill -...Chuquitucto blames her blindness on the June 2000 spill from one of the world's top gold mines, Yanacocha, an environmental disaster that has prompted villagers to file a lawsuit in Colorado against Denver-based Newmont Minerals. (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 3 July 2002)

European court ruling victory for UK unions -... The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ruled in favour of a journalist and a group of dockworkers who were told they could not have pay rises unless they signed personal contracts accepting not to be represented by a trade union. (Mary Watkins, Financial Times, 2 July 2002)

• Union members win equal rights - Employers in the UK are unlawfully allowed to discriminate against workers who want to join a union, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

• Unions win ruling in European Court of Human Rights (Trades Union Congress [UK], 2 July 2002)

Despite upsurge in litigation, China's courts fail to redress labor abuses (Philip P. Pan, Washington Post, in Seattle Times, 2 July 2002)

Longer hours lead to lawsuits over pay [USA] [regarding lawsuits about unpaid overtime; refers to Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, Rite Aid, Bank of America, Pacific Bell, Farmers Insurance Group]  (Fay Hansen, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2002)

The Enforcement of Environmental Law from a Human Rights Perspective (Romina Picolotti & Sofia Bordenave, CEDHA - Center for Human Rights and Environment, July 2002)

• {···español} La Justiciabilidad del Derecho Ambiental desde una Perspectiva de Derechos Humanos (Romina Picolotti y Sofía Bordenave, CEDHA - Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente, julio 2002)