Slaughter and May successfully defends Shell and its directors against threatened derivative claim as court of appeal refuses permission to appeal

Slaughter and May has again successfully acted for Shell plc and its board of directors in respect of minority shareholder ClientEarth’s application for permission to continue a derivative claim on behalf of Shell plc against its directors. ClientEarth had sought permission from the Court of Appeal to appeal the earlier decisions of the High Court (both on the papers and at an oral hearing) to dismiss ClientEarth’s application in respect of the threatened derivative claim. The Court of Appeal comprehensively dismissed ClientEarth’s application for permission to appeal. There are no further opportunities for ClientEarth to appeal, and this decision therefore represents the end of ClientEarth’s threatened derivative claim.