Reading a book on legal proceedings of the olden days. Get this: in the 16th century, rats were put on trial for “feloniously eating and wantonly destroying the barley-crop.” Their lawyer brilliantly said they needn’t appear: not safe, cats lay in wait.
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So BHP's lawyers changed tactic: BHP claims the opposing law firm isn't independent as their funding partner replaced their CEO. If a firm isn’t independent, UK ethics rules could block them from acting—leaving 640K victims without counsel. 6/6
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It worked… briefly. High Court agreed in 2020. Then the Court of Appeal overturned it in 2022. 5/6
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So what did BHP’s lawyers do? Instead of debating who’s responsible, they tried to kill the case before it began.
Argument: the claim is an “abuse of process” as it was (i.a.) already being litigated in Brazil. 4/6
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640,000 Brazilians, from families to fishermen, claim BHP (an Anglo-Australian mining giant) failed to prevent it. Because BHP is headquartered in London they brought the case before the UK High Court. 3/6
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In 2015, the Mariana dam in Brazil collapsed—19 dead, thousands homeless, rivers poisoned. 2/6
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A multi-billion-pound legal battle after an environmental disaster that killed 19 people. With a peek into corporate-law chess moves. A thread. 1/6
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Does rain belong to everyone? WRONG, says German police, as they're investigating a €0.15 theft of rainwater. And get this: the law is on their side! 🧑🏼⚖️
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www.thetimes.com/world/europe...
Apparently, there’s no law explicitly banning trial by combat in the US. Every now and then, people still try to invoke it in court — with katanas oddly being the weapon of choice..
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