US Supreme Court rules 6-3 that private plaintiffs cannot sue corporations for aiding international law violations under key federal statutes.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that private plaintiffs cannot sue companies for aiding and abetting violations of international law under two key federal statutes.
What Happened
The decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe rejected claims brought by Falun Gong practitioners against the networking equipment maker for allegedly assisting Chinese government surveillance. The ruling narrows the scope of the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act, both of which have been used to bring lawsuits against American firms operating overseas.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, held that courts cannot create new causes of action for violations of international norms under the Alien Tort Statute. “The power to create causes of action belongs to Congress,” Barrett wrote.