Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued February 28, 2012
Reargued October 1, 2012
Decided April 17, 2013
Full case nameKiobel, Individually and on behalf of her late husband Kiobel, et al. v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. et al.
Docket no.10-1491
Citations569 U.S. 108 (more)
133 S. Ct. 1659; 185 L. Ed. 2d 671; 2013 U.S. LEXIS 3159; 81 U.S.L.W. 4241
ArgumentOral argument
ReargumentReargument
Case history
PriorKiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 456 F. Supp. 2d 457 (S.D.N.Y. 2006); affirmed in part, reversed in part, 621 F.3d 111 (2d Cir. 2010); rehearing en banc denied, 642 F.3d 379 (2d Cir. 2011); certiorari granted, 565 U.S. 961 (2010).
Holding
The presumption against extraterritoriality applies to claims under the Alien Tort Statute.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Case opinions
MajorityRoberts, joined by Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Alito
ConcurrenceKennedy
ConcurrenceAlito, joined by Thomas
ConcurrenceBreyer (in judgment), joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan
Laws applied
Alien Tort Statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1350

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 569 U.S. 108 (2013), was a United States Supreme Court decision in which the court found that the presumption against extraterritoriality applies to claims under the Alien Tort Claims Act. According to the Court's majority opinion, "it would reach too far to say that mere corporate presence suffices" to displace the presumption against extraterritoriality when all the alleged wrongful conduct takes place outside the United States.[1]

The Court did not rule out the possibility of corporate liability if the presumption against extraterritoriality could be overcome by acts that sufficiently "touch and concern" the United States. Lower court decisions were divided.[2] After the Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC ruled out an ATS cause of action against foreign corporate defendants, the significance of the "touch and concern" test remains unclear.[3]

Kiobel is considered a 'foreign cubed' case in which foreign plaintiffs made a claim against a foreign company for human rights violations overseas.[4]

  1. ^ Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 569 U.S. 108 (2013).
  2. ^ Kelly, Michael J. Prosecuting Corporations for Genocide. Oxford University Press. pp. 45–48.
  3. ^ National Security Law. Aspen Publishing. 2020. p. 238.
  4. ^ Steinitz, Maya (2019). The Case for an International Court of Civil Justice. Cambridge University Press. p. 76.