Commentary: Jurisdiction, access to remedy in business and human rights cases, and the corporate structure: A tale of two cases

This note introduces two cases, both concerned with liability under a duty of care of parent companies, the obligation of ‘due diligence’ in supply chain operations and the obstacles presented …

Commentary: Jabir et al vs. KiK: Do EU companies have an extraterritorial duty towards suppliers in global production chains?

Multinational companies not only maintain subsidiaries in multiple jurisdictions but have increasingly outsourced production to independent suppliers. Industrial disasters like the Ali Enterprises (AE) factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan, or …

German Development Ministry drafts law on mandatory human rights due diligence for German companies

As reported by German newspaper TAZ (“Die Tageszeitung”) on 10 February 2019, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has drafted an as of yet unpublished law …

Schnittmuster für eine bessere Welt

Der Druck auf deutsche Unternehmen steigt, die Menschenrechte von Beschäftigten im Ausland zu schützen. Das Bundesentwicklungsministerium von Gerd Müller (CSU) hat dazu den Entwurf eines Wertschöpfungskettengesetzes erarbeitet. Der Text mit …

The fault in our factories

In November, Saeeda Khatoon flew to Europe to seek justice for the death of her son and 257 others, in the Baldia factory inferno of 2012. With the support of …

Landgericht weist Klage gegen „Kik“ ab

Das Unternehmen aus Bönen lässt unter anderem in Karachi (Pakistan) produzieren. 2012 hatte es dort in der Fabrik von Ali Enterprises ein verheerendes Feuer gegeben. 259 Arbeiter kamen ums Leben. …

Der KiK-Fall: Eine ganze Industrie schaut am 10. Januar auf das LG Dortmund

Der KiK-Fall, der heute vor dem LG Dortmund verhandelt wird (AZ O 95/15), könnte eine ganze Industrie umkrempeln. Wahrscheinlich wird das nicht passieren, da die Ansprüche verjährt sein könnten. Die Argumentation der …

REGIONAL COURT IN DORTMUND DISMISSES PAKISTANIS’ COMPLAINT AGAINST KIK

The Regional Court in Dortmund will not investigate the facts in the case against the German textile retailer KiK. The proceedings were initiated by four Pakistani plaintiffs who were affected by …

Top German court rules Uber limousine service illegal

Germany’s highest court ruled on Thursday that a defunct limousine service offered by Uber [UBER.UL] was illegal, in a setback for the U.S. ride-hailing company that has struggled to comply …

Discrimination and privacy in religious workspaces: a welcome ruling on “ethos organisations”

Last week, the Grand Chamber of the CJEU handed down its fourth case on religious discrimination under the Equal Treatment Directive in employment and occupation: IR v JQ. It is a welcome exposition …