This is just as HUGE if not bigger… but nobody wants to recognize it
Supreme Court Rules that World Bank Group Can Be Sued in US Courts In Historic Decision
February 27, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC — In a historic decision, today the United States Supreme Court decided 7-1 to overturn the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s claim to absolute immunity from lawsuits. Under the Jam v. IFC decision, international organizations like the IFC and the World Bank can now be sued in US courts, including in relation to their commercial activities.
Previously, international organizations like the World Bank Group and its private lending arm, the IFC, had enjoyed absolute immunity, meaning that they could not be sued in US courts under any circumstances. Foreign governments have only limited immunity in the US, so today’s decision aligns international organizations’ immunity with that of foreign governments.
“For far too long, the World Bank Group has considered itself exempt from any form of litigation,” says Carla García Zendejas, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), which submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court opposing absolute immunity. “Today’s decision is a win for communities everywhere who face tremendous obstacles seeking accountability for development projects that harm their environment, livelihoods, and rights.”
In Jam v. IFC, Indian fishing communities and farmers, represented by EarthRights International, sued the IFC in an effort to hold the institution accountable for harms resulting from the Tata Mundra Ultra Mega coal-fired power plant in Gujarat, India, which received an IFC loan in 2008. Affected communities originally sought redress through the IFC’s independent accountability mechanism, the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO), alleging that the IFC caused the loss of their livelihoods and property and threats to their health. While the CAO found a number of counts of non-compliance, the IFC largely dismissed their findings.
https://www.ciel.org/news/supreme-court-rules-world-bank-group-immunity-jam-v-ifc/