(EnergyAsia, September 4, Thursday) — The US District Court for the District of Columbia has denied Exxon Mobil Corporation’s motion for summary judgment in Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp, removing the last procedural hurdle before trial in a groundbreaking case establishing corporate responsibility for international human rights abuses.

Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll PLLC, a US law firm, said the court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, 11 Indonesian civilians who were the alleged victims of rape, murder, and torture, at the hands of the military security personnel protecting Exxon Mobil’s large natural gas facilities in Aceh, Indonesia.

The defendant, Exxon Mobil, is the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company and has recently set records for earning the largest US quarterly profits in history.

Plaintiffs presented evidence that Exxon Mobil and its Indonesian subsidiary are liable for killings and torture committed by military security forces protecting the company premises. The court ruled that plaintiffs have provided sufficient evidence to proceed to trial on all of their claims, said Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll.

The firm said: “Significantly, the court found that Exxon Mobil could be responsible for the violent acts committed by the security forces because the company retained them, paid them, and could have controlled them. The court also found that Exxon Mobil could be liable for negligently hiring a security force with a reputation for committing violent human rights abuses.

“Having exhausted its procedures to avoid trial, Exxon Mobil will now have to defend itself before a jury. The District Court has not yet set a date for the trial, which will take place in Washington, D.C.”

Plaintiffs are represented by a legal team including Michael D. Hausfeld and Agnieszka Fryszman, firm partners and members of the international human rights legal team of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll PLLC.