| Amicus Brief in Beanal v. Freeport McMoran |
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| Written by EarthRights International | |
| Friday, 03 February 2006 | |
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In this case, victims of human rights and environmental abuses associated with a massive mine in Indonesia filed suit against Freeport-McMoRan, the U.S. company that operated the mines. ERI, in conjunction with the EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, submitted an amicus curiae brief ("friend of the court") to the Fifth Circuit in Beanal v. Freeport McMoRan. This brief argued that there is a minimum right to a healthy environment actionable under the Alien Tort Claims Act. The Court ruled against the plaintiffs without addressing most of the sources of customary international law presented by amici. In other words, the Court did not deal with the issues presented in our amicus brief. |
