Esther Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.
569 U.S. 108 · Decided April 17, 2013 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Esther Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. was decided on April 17, 2013 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, legal injury” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 569 U.S. 108 · 133 S. Ct. 1659 · 185 L. Ed. 2d 671 · 2013 U.S. LEXIS 3159
- Docket number
- 10-1491
- Decided
- April 17, 2013
- Argued
- February 28, 2012
- Reargued
- October 1, 2012
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, legal injury
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28-1350
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Esther Kiobel, Individually and on Behalf of Her Late Husband, Dr. Barinem Kiobel, et Al., Petitioners v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2012-036, docket 2012-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, legal injury”
- Wittman v. Personhuballah
- Sprint Communs. Co., L.P. v. Apcc Servs.
- Jesner v. Arab Bank
- Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill
- Medimmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc.
- Nestle USA v. Doe I
Cases on the same legal provision: 28-1350
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Kathleen Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center
- James R. Clapper, Jr. v. Amnesty International USA
- The Standard Fire Insurance Company v. Greg Knowles
- Comcast Corporation v. Caroline Behrend
- Jonathan Edward Boyer v. Louisiana
- City of Arlington v. Federal Communications Commission
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error