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45 Alta. L. Rev. 653 (2007-2008)
American and Canadian Civil Actions Alleging Human Rights Violations Abroad by Oil and Gas Companies

handle is hein.journals/alblr45 and id is 661 raw text is: CIVIL ACTIONS ALLEGING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ABROAD 653 AMERICAN AND CANADIAN CIVIL ACTIONS ALLEGING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ABROAD BY OIL AND GAS COMPANIES JONATHAN HORLICK, JOE CYR, SCOTT REYNOLDS, AND ANDREW BEHRMAN* Under the United States Alien Tort Statute, which permits non-U.S, citizens to bring lawsuits in US. courts for human rights violations that are violations of the law of nations, plaintiffs have filed claims against multinational oil and gas corporations for the direct or complicit commission of such violations carried out by the government of the country in which the corporation operated. In addition to exercising jurisdiction over US. corporations, U.S. courts have exercised jurisdiction in cases involving non-US. defendants for alleged wrongful conduct against non- U.S. plaintiffs committed outside the US. The exercise of jurisdiction by US. courts over non-U.S. defendants for alleged wrongful conduct against non-U.S. plaintiffs committed outside of the U.S. raises serious questions as to the jurisdictional foundation on which the power of U.S. courts to adjudicate them rests. Defences that foreign defendants can raise against the exercise of jurisdiction by the U.S. courts are an objection to the extraterritorial assertion of jurisdiction, the act of state doctrine, the political question doctrine, forum non eonveniens, and the principle of comity. These defences are bolstered by the support of the defendant 's home government and other governments. En vertu du Alien Tort Statute (t.-U.), des citoyens non 9tats-uniens peuvent engager des poursuites juridiques aux Etats-Unis pour des infractions aux droits de la personne constituant des infractions au droit international; des plaideurs ont intents des poursuites contre des multinationales dans le secteur pdtrolier etgazier, impliques directement oupar voie complice dans celles infractions commises par le gouvernement du pays oi la socigt avait des exploitations. Outre le fait d'exercer leurjuridiction sur les corporations amricaines, les tribunaux amricains ont exercg leurjuridiction dans des causes auxquelles des d~fendeurs non tats-uniens &taient m~lks c desprgtendues conduites transgressives contre des plaideurs non itats-uniens commises h l'extgrieur du territoire des Etats-Unis. L'exercice de a juridiction par les tribunaux americains 6 l 'Vgard de defendeurs non etats-uniens pour des pr~tendues conduites transgressives contre desplaideurs non tats-uniens commises bl 'extrieur des Etats-Unis soul&ve de graves questions au sujet des fondements juridictionnels sur lesquels les tribunaux amricains prennent leur pouvoir. Les dfenses que les defendeurs &trangers peuvent presenter contre les tribunaux amdricains reprsentent une objection b la position extraterritoriale de la juridiction, I 'acte de Ia doctrine d'tat, Ia doctrine de la question politique, forum non conveniens, et le principe de l'adhdsion defdrente. Ces d~fenses sont soutenues par l'appui du gouvernement du defendeur et d'autres gouvernements. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................. 654 11. AN INCREASE IN LITIGATION AGAINST MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS ................................ 655 Jonathan Horlick is a lawyer in private practice in Calgary, Alberta. His practice is focused on problem solving for general counsel of energy sector businesses. In 2002, he was retained by Talisman Energy to manage its defence in the lawsuit commenced against it in the U.S. Federal Court that arose from Talisman Energy's now disposed of indirect interest in oil operations in Sudan from 1998-2003. Joe Cyr and Scott Reynolds are partners, and Andrew Behrman is counsel in the New York office of Lovells LLP, who has acted as outside counsel for Talisman Energy in the previously mentioned lawsuit from April 2004 until the present. Some of the material contained in this article was obtained from papers filed in the Talisman Energy lawsuit.

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