In a historic ruling against the oil giant Shell, a Netherlands court has found in favor of four Nigerian farmers along with environmental activists in an oil spill case that was first filed in 2008.
In the verdict delivered Friday at the Court of Appeal in The Hague, the appeals judge sided with the farmers in finding Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary responsible for four out of six pipeline leaks covered by the lawsuit, as well as declaring that the parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, had violated its duty of care.
Shell will pay an unspecified amount in damages to the farmers, who claimed the spills had ruined the livelihoods of villagers in the area. The company was also ordered to install leak detection equipment in its pipelines.
One of the Nigerian plaintiffs, Eric Dooh from the village of Goi, told the media: “Finally, there is some justice for the Nigerian people suffering the consequences of Shell’s oil. It is a bittersweet victory, since two of the plaintiffs, including my father, did not live to see the end of this trial. But this verdict brings hope for the future of the people in the Niger Delta.”
Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which helped to bring the case, said the verdict “exceeds all expectations.” Director Donald Pols said: “This is fantastic news for the affected farmers … This is also a warning for all Dutch transnational corporations involved in injustice worldwide. Victims of environmental pollution, land grabbing or exploitation now have a better chance to win a legal battle against the companies involved. People in developing countries are no longer without rights in the face of transnational corporations.”
Royal Dutch Shell said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the verdict. The company claims that the leaks were caused by sabotage.
Friends of the Earth said it was the first time a Dutch multinational had been held responsible for a duty of care overseas.
It’s not the only international case being brought against Shell by Friends of the Earth. In December, in a first-of-its-kind case, lawyers for the environmental charity opened a lawsuit that alleges Shell is failing to take action to cut carbon emissions in alignment with Paris Agreement targets. This, the lawsuit claims, is a human rights violation. Should the court find against Shell, the company could be ordered to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2030.
A ruling in that case is expected in May.