REUTERS

Shell says its Nigeria asset sale not affected by court ruling

ABUJA, June 21 (Reuters) – Shell Plc (SHEL.L) has said its planned sale of onshore assets in Nigeria will go ahead and was not affected by a Supreme Court ruling in a case in which a Niger Delta community is seeking compensation for a 2019 oil spill.

Bamidele Odugbesan, spokesman for Shell in Nigeria, said the June 16 Supreme Court ruling was in response to an appeal launched by Shell against a contempt ruling linked to the dispute with the Niger Delta community.

The lawyer for the community said the ruling, which was made public on Monday, barred Shell from disposing its assets as ordered by a lower court in March.

“The Supreme Court ruling on 16 June was with respect to the contempt proceedings and not related to (the) onshore portfolio review,” Odugbesan said.

Shell has invited bids for its onshore assets. Odugbesan did not say how many bids had been received.

Eighty-eight communities in Rivers state were awarded $1.95 billion compensation for an oil spill they blamed on Shell and which damaged their farms and waterways. Shell denies causing the spill. read more read more

REUTERS

JPMorgan wins London oil trial in which Nigeria sought $1.7 bln

By Sinead Cruise and Estelle Shirbon: June 14, 2022

LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) has won a London High Court battle against Nigeria, which was seeking $1.7 billion in damages over the U.S. bank’s role in a disputed 2011 oilfield deal.

JPMorgan said the judgment reflected its commitment to acting with high professional standards everywhere it operates, while Nigeria said it was disappointed and would review the judgment carefully before considering its next steps. read more

AP NEWS

South Africa court to rule on Shell offshore oil exploration

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African court is to rule on efforts to stop British oil giant Shell from conducting any further seismic surveys in the country’s Indian Ocean waters to explore for offshore oil and gas deposits.

Environmental and community groups in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province won an urgent interdict to stop the surveys in December last year and are now asking the court to permanently halt the operations. read more

CNN

Shell escaped liability for oil spills in Nigeria for years. Then four farmers took them to court — and won

By Nimi Princewill and Krystina Shveda, CNN: Updated 1540 GMT (2340 HKT) May 25, 2022

Nigeria (CNN)When Nigerian environmental lawyer Chima Williams launched a lawsuit against oil giant Shell plc, he did not envisage a 13-year battle that would lead to a landmark ruling and land him a prestigious environmental award.

Williams, who is the executive director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, successfully convinced the Court of Appeal in the Hague that Shell plc was responsible for the activities of its subsidiary in Nigeria — Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) — and for oil spills that ravaged local farmlands.

The suit against Shell Nigeria was brought by four farmers from the Goi and Oruma communities in the country’s oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region, who said their farms were left in ruins after major spills from underground pipelines.

The decision to allow Shell plc, formerly known as Royal Dutch Shell plc, to be sued in this jurisdiction set a precedent as it was the first time the Dutch parent company was sued in its home country for the actions of its foreign subsidiary, SPDC.

Shell Nigeria (SPDC) was eventually held liable for the oil spills and ordered to pay damages to the farmers in a January 29, 2021, ruling by the Court of Appeal of the Hague. SPDC was also ordered to carry out an intensive clean-up of the damage to the communities.

Williams was on Wednesday awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in holding the company accountable for the environmental damage. read more

FT

Odey urges Shell to drop appeal against order to slash emissions

Clifford Chance to handle Shell’s appeal against sensational defeat in the Milieudefensie case

The following are translated extracts from an article published on 19 May 2022 by the Dutch financial newspaper, the fd.

By Martijn Pols and Joris Polman.

Oil company Shell has set aside house lawyer De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek after the sensational defeat against Milieudefensie. Exactly one year ago, the judge forced Shell to tighten up its climate policy.

Shell appealed but had no confidence in a good outcome with De Brauw by its side. Lawyers for British Clifford Chance can now make another attempt. read more

CITYA.M.

Shell suffers blow as investor group withholds approval for energy transition plan

NICHOLAS EARL: MONDAY 16 MAY 2022

Shell’s battle to gain approval for its energy transition plan has suffered a heavy setback, as a major investor announces its intention to abstain on a key resolution at the firm’s upcoming annual general meeting.

Royal London Asset Management (RLAM), which holds a £1.2bn stake in the energy giant, has criticised the oil and gas trader’s climate transition plans. read more

CNBC

Big Oil braces for shareholder revolt over climate plans in proxy voting season

Sam Meredith@SMEREDITH19 PUBLISHED WED, MAY 11 2022

• Oil and gas majors on both sides of the Atlantic are scheduled to hold their annual general meetings in the coming weeks.
• The forthcoming proxy season comes amid intensifying pressure on Big Oil to set short- and medium-term targets in line with the landmark Paris Agreement.
• At present, not a single oil and gas major is aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal of curbing global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

LONDON — Some of the world’s largest corporate emitters face the prospect of a shareholder rebellion this month, with climate-related votes poised to spike throughout the proxy season.

Oil and gas majors on both sides of the Atlantic are scheduled to hold their annual general meetings in the coming weeks. Existing climate strategies are up for votes alongside a range of investor-led resolutions targeting emissions reductions. read more

The New York Times

Oil Giants Sell Dirty Wells to Buyers With Looser Climate Goals, Study Finds

The transactions can help major oil and gas companies clean up their own production by transferring polluting assets to a different firm, the analysis said.

By Hiroko Tabuchi: May 10, 2022

When Royal Dutch Shell sold off its stake in the Umuechem oil field in Nigeria last year, it was, on paper, a step forward for the company’s climate ambitions: Shell could clean up its holdings, raise money to invest in cleaner technologies, and move toward its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. read more

Reuters

Shell obtains injunctions against U.K. climate protests

Shell has obtained injunctions from U.K. courts that pave the way for protesters to be fined or put in prison if they block or damage petrol stations and other oil facilities in England and Wales, the firm said on Friday.

The move follows several protests in recent weeks by climate activists such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

It mirrors steps taken by other oil firms including Exxon that were backed by Britain’s business department, which says the right to protest should not cause disruption to people’s everyday lives. read more

Current litigation in Florida where Shell has allegedly engaged in a “false, deceptive, and unlawful advertising scheme”

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS FROM THE FLORIDA LEGAL DOCUMENT

EXTRACTS FROM A FLORIDA LEGAL DOCUMENT IN WHICH SHELL OIL COMPANY IS THE DEFENDANT: To drive sales and increase their own revenue, Defendant has engaged in a deceptive pricing scheme which misleads consumers into believing they will be charged a lower price for gasoline purchases made with debit cards, when in reality consumers are charged a higher “credit” price for these transactions. By this action, Plaintiff seeks damages on behalf of the Class as defined herein arising from Shell’s false, deceptive, and unlawful advertising scheme, as well as injunctive and equitable relief to end Shell’s scheme. read more

By John Donovan

Printed below is a Google Review of the employment attorney law firm Oberti Sullivan LLP fast gaining a reputation for successfully suing the unscrupulous oil giant Shell, multiple times.

It was posted by Michael Oliveri, the former senior U.S. military officer who sued Shell for age discrimination and retaliation after the energy giant revoked his job offer. His posting seems to confirm, as previously stated online, that Shell settled his claim. 

HIS POSTING

Shell Terminated Executive After Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

NEWS PROVIDED BY Oberti Sullivan : Mar 31, 2022, 08:33 ET

HOUSTON, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An amended petition was filed this week in the lawsuit against Shell alleging disability, pregnancy and sex discrimination.

Julia Shur, 47, an employee of Shell was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in June 2019. A year later, she was terminated for alleged performance reasons despite having led two transactions which resulted in more than $160 million in revenue for Shell that year. read more

Reuters

Shell filed appeal against landmark Dutch climate ruling

March 29, 20225:28 PM GMT+1 Last Updated a day ago

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) – Energy major Shell (SHEL.L) has filed its appeal against a Dutch court ruling that ordered the oil, gas and fuel producer to cut its emissions faster in a landmark win for activists turning to courts to force climate action.

While Shell had set itself a target to reach net zero carbon neutrality by 2050, its intermediate targets were based on emissions intensity, which could in theory allow the group to increase fossil fuel output. read more read more

Nigeria: Dutch court rejects suit of ‘Ogoni Nine’ widows against Shell

The court said there was insufficient evidence to support claims of the families of the activists executed alongside the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995.

23 March 2022

A Dutch court has thrown out a suit against Shell brought by four widows of activists who were executed by late Nigerian military leader Sani Abacha in 1995 after protests against the company’s exploitation of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

The court said there was not enough evidence to support the widows’ claim that Shell had been involved in bribing witnesses related to the case.

In 2019, the court had handed the widows a rare win in their long-running battle by allowing the case to continue. But it had also said the claimants needed to prove Shell’s liability.

Shell has always denied wrongdoing.

Esther Kiobel, whose husband Barinem Kiobel was among those executed, said she would file an appeal at The Hague.

“We can’t do it in Nigeria because they [the government] are the collaborators,” she said. “I want their [activists] names exonerated. That’s what I want and that’s what I’m fighting for.” read more

The Hague: Esther Kiobel vows to continue her campaign for justice

23 March 2022

Human rights defender Esther Kiobel today lost her civil case against oil giant Shell, which she accuses of complicity in the 1995 execution of her husband by the Nigerian military government, but has promised to continue her campaign for justice. Esther has spent 27 years seeking justice for her husband Dr Barinem Kiobel, who was hanged along with eight other men in connection with widespread protests against oil pollution in the Niger Delta.At a witness hearing in 2019, three men told the Dutch court that Shell and the Nigerian government had given them money and offered them other bribes in order to incriminate Esther’s husband and eight other men, known collectively as the “Ogoni Nine”. But today, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Shell had been involved.

Esther Kiobel brought the case against Shell along with three other women, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula, whose husbands were also executed in 1995. Amnesty International’s research into the historic injustice has revealed how Shell’s requests for ‘assistance’ in handling environmental protests led to a brutal government crackdown, culminating in the arrests and unlawful executions of the women’s husbands, as well as renowned activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and four other men.

“This is a disappointing outcome, but these extraordinarily brave women are not giving up. Their voices have been heard. They should be commended for their resilience and unbreaking commitment to exposing the truth, and for the invaluable work they have done to highlight the global culture of impunity for multinationals accused of human rights abuses,” said Mark Dummett, Head of Business and Human Rights at Amnesty International.

“It has taken years of legal wrangling for Esther Kiobel to get Shell to face her in a courtroom. Shell tried every trick in the book, from disputing jurisdiction to refusing to hand over crucial documents. The fact that it took more than twenty years for a court to hear Esther’s argument is a grim indictment of how corporations are able to evade accountability for terrible crimes and human rights abuses. Despite the ruling today, Esther’s battle for justice has not been in vain – her persistence represents a powerful argument for change. Governments must do more to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses, and make it possible for the victims to seek justice.”

Esther Kiobel fled Nigeria and settled in the US following her husband’s killing. She first filed a case against Shell in New York in 2002, but in 2013 the US Supreme Court ruled that the US did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. In 2017, Amnesty International supported Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula in bringing a new case against Shell in the Netherlands. The four plaintiffs accused Shell of being instrumental in the unlawful arrest and detention of their husbands; the violation of their husbands’ physical integrity; and the violation of their right to a fair trial and to life, and their own right to a family life. The case was held up when Shell refused to hand over crucial documents relating to the case, and it was not until 2019 that the District Court of The Hague heard the women’s arguments for the first time.

Amnesty International has extensively detailed Shell’s role in the crackdown in Ogoniland. In a 2017 report read more