Skip to main content

Caselaw Database

This is a database of positive domestic, regional and international legal decisions from around the world regarding economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (ESCER). These case summaries provide greater awareness about ESCER issues globally, effective litigation strategies, progressive jurisprudence, and enforcement efforts. Our case summaries are available in English and Spanish, with more recent entries also available in French and Arabic. 

The caselaw database is made possible by the support of ESCR-Net members, many of whom have contributed or reviewed cases, as well as several allies. ESCR-Net expresses its special appreciation to the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy at Northeastern University (PHRGE), which provides ongoing support to the case database. To suggest additional cases for inclusion, contact Felipe Mesel, Strategic Litigation Working Group Program Coordinator, at fmesel@escr-net.org.

Filter By+
11/18/2024
Soon after oleum gas leaked from a plant owned by Shriram Foods and Fertiliser Industries (“Shriram”), a district magistrate ordered Shriram to temporarily cease operating a chlorine plant within the company’s 76-acre complex located in a densely populated area of around 200,000 people in Delhi. Petitioner, M.C. Mehta, an environmental...
11/15/2024
Members of the Community of La Oroya brought suit against Peru for violations of the right to a healthy environment and other human rights violations brought on by almost a century of pollution from La Oroya Metallurgical Complex in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). Residents of La Oroya,...
01/30/2023
In 2022, the Philippines Human Rights Commission (hereinafter “the Commission”) released the results of a seven-year investigation into the impacts of climate change on the Philippines and the duty on states and private actors to address “the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters.” The investigation was prompted after Greenpeace...