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The Case For An International Court Of Civil Justice, Maya Steinitz

Books

When multinational corporations cause mass harms to lives, livelihoods, and the environment in developing countries, it is nearly impossible for victims to find a court that can and will issue an enforceable judgment. In this work, Professor Maya Steinitz presents a detailed rationale for the creation of an International Court of Civil Justice (ICCJ) to hear such transnational mass tort cases. The world's legal systems were not designed to solve these kinds of complex transnational disputes, and the absence of mechanisms to ensure coordination means that victims try, but fail, to find justice in country after country, court after court. …

Transnational Litigation As A Prisoner's Dilemma, Maya Steinitz, Paul Gowder

Faculty Scholarship

In this Article we use game theory to argue that perceptions of widespread corruption in the judicial processes in developing countries create ex ante incentives to act corruptly. It is rational (though not moral) to preemptively act corruptly when litigating in the courts of many developing nations. The upshot of this analysis is to highlight that, contrary to judicial narratives in individual cases — such as the (in)famous Chevron–Ecuador dispute used herein as an illustration — the problem of corruption in transnational litigation is structural and as such calls for structural solutions. The article offers one such solution: the establishment …

The Case For An International Court Of Civil Justice, Maya Steinitz

Faculty Scholarship

We live in a world in which the victims of cross-border mass torts de facto (not de jure) have no court to turn to in order to pursue legal action against American multinational corporations when they are responsible for disasters. 1 The only way to provide a fair and legitimate process for both victims and corporations is to create an International Court of Civil Justice (ICCJ). This Essay seeks to start a conversation about this novel institutional solution. It lays out both a justice case, from the plaintiffs' viewpoint, and an efficiency case, from a corporate defendant's viewpoint, for why …

Dead Man's Hand: Reshuffling Foreign Sovereign Immunities In U.S. Human Rights Litigation, David J. Bederman

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Adjudication Of International Human Rights Claims In The European Court Of Human Rights And The Inter-American Court Of Human Rights: Why Atca Suits In U.S. Courts Are The Better Alternative For Claims Against American Multinational Corporations, Jenny N. Bounngaseng

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Alien Tort Statute And The Law Of Nations, Bradford R. Clark, Anthony J. Bellia Jr.

Anthony J. Bellia

Courts and scholars have struggled to identify the original meaning of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). As enacted in 1789, the ATS provided "[t]hat the district courts... shall... have cognizance... of all causes where an alien sues for a tort only in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States." The statute was rarely invoked for almost two centuries until, in the 1980s, lower federal courts began reading the statute expansively to allow foreign citizens to sue other foreign citizens for violations of modern customary international law that occurred outside the United States. In 2004 …

The Global Supply Contract Charade: How Corporate Greed Fuels Human Trafficking And Forced Labor, Naomi Jiyoung Bang

Naomi J Bang

ABSTRACT: THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CONTRACT CHARADE

HOW CORPORATE GREED FUELS HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND FORCED LABOR

Human trafficking and forced labor reflect the dark side of globalization, where criminal gangs trade people through international channels via a rapidly growing network of electronic communications and transport. Unfortunately, it is not just the criminal element that is complicit in these activities. Multinational corporations also contribute through their massive global production chains, increasing chances that their products could be made by trafficked workers. Corporations also shift liability for these acts onto their overseas suppliers through “arm’s length” global supply contracts and by pointing to …

The Global Supply Contract Charade: How Corporate Greed Fuels Human Trafficking And Forced Labor, Naomi J. Bang

Naomi J Bang

HOW CORPORATE GREED FUELS HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND FORCED LABOR

Human trafficking and forced labor reflect the dark side of globalization, where criminal gangs trade people through international channels via a rapidly growing network of electronic communications and transport. Unfortunately, it is not just the criminal element that is complicit in these activities. Multinational corporations also contribute through their massive global production chains, increasing chances that their products could be made by trafficked workers. Corporations also shift liability for these acts onto their overseas suppliers through “arm’s length” global supply contracts and by pointing to the sheer geographic distance between them. …

The Alien Tort Statute And The Law Of Nations, Bradford R. Clark, Anthony J. Bellia Jr.

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Courts and scholars have struggled to identify the original meaning of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). As enacted in 1789, the ATS provided "[t]hat the district courts... shall... have cognizance... of all causes where an alien sues for a tort only in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States." The statute was rarely invoked for almost two centuries until, in the 1980s, lower federal courts began reading the statute expansively to allow foreign citizens to sue other foreign citizens for violations of modern customary international law that occurred outside the United States. In 2004 …

Torture, American Style: A Recipe For Civil Tort Immunity, Matthew J. Jowanna

Matthew J. Jowanna

If someone is tortured, surely, at a minimum, an intentional tort has been committed against that person. This article specifically addresses the civil tort remedy, or lack thereof, for victims of torture at the hands of employees of the United States. In ratifying the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and in its subsequent reporting to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, the United States has consistently denounced torture and proclaimed itself to be a nation that provides for civil remedies against torturers. However, this article will draw attention to the hypocrisy and self-protection …

The New Deference-Based Approach To Adjudicating Political Questions In Corporate Ats Cases: Potential Pitfalls And Workable Fixes, Seth Korman

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

Much has been made of executive-branch attempts to exert control over cases brought against corporations under the Alien Tort Stat- ute. Under the Bush Administration, the executive branch repeatedly sought to influence district court opinions through targeted letters to the court or statements of interest. These letters, frequently written by the State Department legal advisor, sought to convince courts that adjudication of claims against corporate defendants would have an ad- verse effect on U.S. foreign policy, thus triggering the political question doctrine and forcing the courts to rule the claims nonjusticiable. Though some courts have, in fact, deferred entirely to …

The Alien Tort Claims Act In 2007: Resolving The Delicate Balance Between Judicial And Legislative Authority, Hannah R. Bornstein

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Can Corporations Be Held Liable Under The Alien Tort Claims Act?, Kelsy Deye

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

From Rights To Remedies: The Alien Tort Claims Act, Sosa V. Alvarez-Machain And The State Action Requirement, Michael Giuseppe Congiu

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

No abstract provided.

"When Caterpillars Kill": Holding U.S. Corporations Accountable For Knowingly Selling Equipment To Countries For The Commission Of Human Rights Abuses Abroad, Zaha Hassan

San Diego International Law Journal

With the recent trend towards holding corporations accountable for aiding and abetting human rights abuses abroad, this paper asks the question whether corporations should be held liable for knowingly facilitating human rights abuses abroad by selling equipment widely known to be used in such abuses. To this end, the case of Caterpillar sales to Israel will here be examined. Part II provides an overview of the history of the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and its applicability in United States courts. Part III gives an overview of how corporate liability for human rights abuses abroad developed under the ATCA. Part …

The Alien Tort Claims Act: Temporary Stopgap Measure Or Permanent Remedy, Borchien Lai

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

As the world has become smaller through technological advances in travel and communication, the international marketplace has grown larger. The United Nations ("U.N.") estimates that the number of multinational corporations tripled between 1988 and 1997 to 60,000. As these corporations increase their investments abroad, they also face proportionately increasing pressure from investors to run successful operations and increase profits. The result of this dynamic is well-documented. Multinational corporations invest heavily in underdeveloped countries where natural resources are abundant and labor is cheap. To facilitate operations in the country, the corporations must establish a rapport with the host governments-and often, in …

Beyond The Alien Tort Claims Act: Alternative Approaches To Attributing Liability To Corporations For Extraterritorial Abuses, Barnali Choudhury

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

At one time, the only social responsibility of a business was to increase its profits. During this period, businesses prized dictatorships for their ability to provide stable environments and consumers were not concerned with either where or by whom the shoes they wore were made. However, the increase in globalization changed perceptions. Multinational corporations ("MNCs") began to benefit immensely from globalization and those outside of the MNC environment started to realize that an MNC's profit gains brought about a corresponding responsibility to manage any adverse effects of producing those gains . Suddenly, a company's success was measured by factors other …

Alien Torts In Europe? Human Rights And Tort In European Law, Eric A. Engle

Eric A. Engle

Human rights are universally recognized. Their enforcement, however, often requires the action of particular states. This paper examines private law remedies in tort in several Member states of the European Union to remedy human rights violations occurring outside the European Union. It concludes that the laws examined are examples of universal jurisdiction and rights and duties of private persons under international law, which are two key elements of the post-Westphalian state system.

The Torture Victim's Protection Act, The Alien Tort Claims Act, And Foucault's Archaeology Of Knowledge, Eric A. Engle

Eric A. Engle

Outilnes the procedural obstacles to Alien Tort Statute Claims and discusses how to surmount them. Relates ATS to Foucaults power-knowledge and power-body discourses.

An Introduction To Artificial Intelligence And Legal Reasoning: Using Xtalk To Model The Alien Tort Claims Act And Torture Victim Protection Act, Eric Allen Engle

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

This paper presents an introduction to artificial intelligence for legal scholars and includes a computer program that determines the existence of jurisdiction, defences, and applicability of the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act. The paper includes a discussion of the limits and implications of computer programming in formal representations of the law. Concluding that formalization of the law reveals implicit weaknesses in reductionist legal theories, this paper emphasizes the limitations in practice of such theories.

Enforcing Internationally Recognized Human Rights Violations Under The Alien Tort Claims Act: An Analysis Of The Ninth Circuit’S Decision In Doe V. Unocal Corp., Joshua E. Kastenberg

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "On September 18, 2002, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a United States based corporation can be held civilly liable for “aiding and abetting” the internationally recognized human rights violation of forced labor. This case, Doe v. Unocal Corp.1 (Doe II), is significant for its ramifications to human rights litigation in United States courts as well as to future liability for multinational corporations conducting commerce in foreign states. The uniqueness of this case is found in its precedent. No prior federal court has held a corporation liable for human rights violations under the Alien Tort Claims Act. …

African Private Security Companies And The Alien Tort Claims Act: Could Multinational Oil And Mining Companies Be Liable?, Jennifer L. Heil

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This paper focuses specifically on the possible liability under the ATCA of multinational oil and mining companies operating in Africa. First, it will examine the relationships between the multinational oil and mining companies, private security forces and African governments. In doing so, it will describe the actual activities and operations of the private security forces in conjunction with the oil and mining corhpanies. Second, this paper will outline the elements of liability under the ATCA. This will include a discussion of recent cases in which foreign nationals have sued multinational companies in the United States for alleged human rights abuses …

Nuremberg In America: Litigating The Holocaust In United States Courts, Michael J. Bazyler

University of Richmond Law Review

The phrase "opening the floodgates of litigation" connotes a pejorative meaning in American legal argument. Most often, it is used by courts as a reason not to allow a certain case to proceed for fear that it would overburden both courts and society with a new class of lawsuits.

Jane Doe, On Behalf Of Herself And All Others Similarly Situated: Radovan Karadzic In United States District Court, Susan L. Ronn

Seattle University Law Review

In perhaps the only method available to respond with power to the horrors of "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Muslim women turned to a United States court for redress under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) The district court denied jurisdiction. This Article examines the opinion of the United States District Court in Doe v. Karadzic and concludes that Jane Doe and all others similarly situated should find redress in the courts of the United States for the brutalities inflicted upon them. Federal courts should not interpret the ATCA and the TVPA so narrowly …