In Beanal v. Freeport McMoran, 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 mine. ERI, in conjunction with the EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, submitted an amici curiae brief to the Fifth Circuit arguing that there is a minimum right to a healthy environment actionable under the Alien Tort Statute. The Court ruled against the plaintiffs and upheld the lower court’s dismissal of the case without addressing most of the sources of customary international law presented by amici.