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This fall, the Supreme Court will likely decide whether overseas oil companies can be
sued for alleged human rights abuses after Nigerian plaintiffs, victims most similar to Gulf of Mexico region oil survivors, filed a petition (
pdf) with the Supreme Court according to
The New York Times Friday. The petition follows news that Shell faces a hundreds of millions of dollars bill after accepting full liability for two massive oil spills devastating a Nigerian community of 69,000 people, expecting 20 years to clean.
"Oil companies Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Exxon Mobil Corp. have been battling allegations that they played a role in human rights abuses in Nigeria and Indonesia, respectively,"
reported The New York Times.
Those allegations are profoundly similar to those alleged in the Gulf of Mexico region, particularly in Louisiana. This week, the non-government organization (NGO) Louisiana Bucket Brigade
released its
Pipeline Newletter referencing the similarities, "Nigeria, as it happens, has much in common with Louisiana."