Global ethics and the Alien Tort Claims Act: a summary of three cases within the oil and gas industry

Three recent cases within the oil and gas industry point to the trend to prosecute companies in the USA for alleged human rights and environmental degradation abroad. The Alien Tort Claims Act has been used with varying degrees of success to bring claims against multinational companies. The examples of Texaco in Ecuador, Chevron in Nigeria, and Unocal in Burma are presented as case studies of the use of the Alien Tort Claims Act. Implications for global ethics are discussed and recommendations for managerial actions to lessen the potential harm brought about by legal charges under the Act are proposed.