Cobalt: activist lawyer Terry Collingsworth forces Apple, Tesla & co to answer child labour charges

摘要

To respond to lawyer Terry Collingsworth's claims that they have been complicit in the use of forced child labour in the DRC, US West Coast tech giants Apple, Google, Microsoft and Tesla are mobilising America's top legal brains. Collingsworth has taken legal action against multinationals on several occasions in recent years but has so far struggled to score a major victory. Since legal action was taken against them before the district court in Washington DC in early December by 13 Congolese nationals who accuse them of having facilitated the use of forced child labour in DRC's cobalt mines (Africa Intelligence, 14/01/20), Apple, Alphabet (Google's parent company), Microsoft and Tesla have quickly gone into battle order. The four US groups appointed the lawyers who will represent them in the case at the end of March. Computer manufacturer Dell Technologies, which is also among the defendants, will need to decide on its defence team quickly since Judge Carl Nichols wants replies to the accusations made by the plaintiffs' lawyer Terry Collingsworth by May 29. Collingsworth, founder of specialist human rights law firm International Rights Advocates, is also considering to take action against other companies, including trading giant Glencore, which is already in the sights of the US Department of Justice over its activities in DRC.