case United Kingdom English original

Okpabi v. Royal Dutch Shell Plc

UK Supreme Court decision confirming that claims against a UK parent for alleged harm from a Nigerian subsidiary's oil operations should not be struck out where parent control or assumption of responsibility is realistically arguable.

Brief English Introduction

Okpabi continues the Vedanta line by treating parent liability as an ordinary negligence question based on control, intervention, supervision, advice, or assumption of responsibility.

Use It For

Use it to separate veil-piercing doctrine from direct parent-company tort liability in corporate groups.

Teaching Notes

The case helps students avoid a common shortcut: every group-liability problem is not necessarily a veil-piercing problem.