France’s baby steps towards becoming a group litigation forum – the ‘Sanofi’ ruling (5th January 2022 – N°RG 17/07001)
Authors: Eléonore Buisson and Marc Krestin On 5 January 2022, the Paris Judicial Tribunal (Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris)[1] ruled for the first time since group actions were introduced into French law in 2014, that a group action was admissible, and that the defendant was to be held liable. The ruling is important not least because […]
Electric vehicles to the rescue?
Author: Bruna Oliveira, Associate. Emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) – i.e. those powered by diesel and petrol – contribute significantly to climate change, with road transport contributing to over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions[1]. Emissions generated by ICEVs have been shown to have severe consequences for our health, including increasing the risk […]
International Women’s Day 2022: Break the Bias
This year, for International Women’s Day, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team set up a fundraising campaign for our charity partners, Refuge to support the work they do in support of women and children faced with domestic violence. We saw a sea of pink outfits in our PGMBM offices around the world in support of our […]
PGMBM Supports Boca da Mata
Late last year, the Bahia state of Brazil was affected by flooding and heavy rains as a result of the extreme weather caused by climate change. The Bahia branch of the Superintendency of Civil Protection and Defence (SUDEC) estimated that at least 471,786 people were and still are affected by floods and heavy rains in […]
Shell Interdicted from South African Seashores in High Court Ruling
Author: Jade Weiner, Legal Director On 28 December 2021, the High Court of South Africa handed down a ruling (the ‘Case‘) interdicting Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) from carrying out three-dimensional seismic testing for oil and gas.[1] The company intended to begin prospecting along 6011-sq-km of the ecologically diverse and sensitive marine environment of South Africa’s Eastern coastline. The Case and […]
Case snapshot of the Lloyd v Google Supreme Court judgment
Author: Alex Tyerman, PGMBM Associate In the high-profile case of Lloyd v Google LLC [2021] UKSC 50, the Supreme Court handed down its final judgment in November 2021. Following a two-day hearing, the judgment overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision to allow Mr Lloyd to continue his representative action against Google. The case attracted a great […]
Deforestation and the fashion industry: Here’s to a greener and more sustainable wardrobe
Authors: Emma O’Brien and Viola Macrelli, PGMBM Associates Post-festive season, there is fresh motivation to set goals for the year ahead. It is increasingly in vogue to focus on the environmental impact of our lifestyle choices: signing up to Veganuary, switching to keep cups, reducing air travel, etc. One of the areas where there is […]
Dutch Class Action Regime: Closing in on Two Years of WAMCA
Author: Zachary Pogust, PGMBM Associate (USA) The Dutch regime for collective actions was overhauled when the Act on Redress of Mass Damages in Collective Action (“WAMCA” or the “Act”) entered into force. The Act, which took effect on 1 January 2020, applies to facts that took place after 15 November 2016. It was built upon well-established Dutch collective action mechanisms, in effect since […]
Summary Judgment: a note on prospects, procedure, and principles
Author: Phoebe Gunputh, PGMBM Associate How can you obtain a judgment without going to trial? While it may sound like a trick question, the English rules on Civil Procedure (the Civil Procedure Rules, “CPR”) provide a specific mechanism known as summary judgment (CPR 24). Summary judgment is a discretionary power granted to judges to make […]
An international first in Australian climate change litigation: Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility v Santos Ltd
Author: Luke Villiers, PGMBM Associate In previous posts, PGMBM examined recent landmark climate change cases and litigation trends and the new European human rights and environmental due diligence legislative regime. As these posts show, environmental litigation is on the rise as individuals and organisations seek to ensure corporations and governments uphold their environmental and human […]