U.S. Supreme Court rules for Nestle, Cargill over slavery lawsuit

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a lawsuit accusing Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA (NESN.S) subsidiary of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms, but sidestepped a broader ruling on the permissibility of suits accusing American companies of human rights violations abroad.

The 8-1 ruling authored by Justice Clarence Thomas reversed a lower court decision that had allowed the lawsuit, brought on behalf of former child slaves from Mali who worked at the farms, filed against the companies in 2005 to proceed.

The court ruled the claim could not be brought under the Alien Tort Statute, which lets non-U.S. citizens seek damages in American courts in certain instances. The business community has long sought to limit corporate liability under this law.

The lawsuits targeted the U.S. subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle, the world's biggest food producer, and commodities trader Cargill, one of the largest privately held U.S. companies.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/us-supreme-court-rules-nestle-cargill-over-slavery-lawsuit-2021-06-17/

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

1. Why is it...

...always so hard to find out who voted for what in these articles? This article doesn't point out the dissenting vote. I always look for who voted how.

[Ninga]

2. 👍

[Jose Garcia]

3. Alito was the only dissent

Link to tweet

?s=19

[twodogsbarking]

4. Them that holds the gold makes the rules.

Golden Rule, second part.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. largest and largest privately held

children ain't got no power confronting those heavyweights

Alito found humanity because ... it was without consequences to do so in this ruling?

[ShazamIam]

6. I understand this, but aren't U.S. firms allegedly forbidden from engaging in these kinds

human rights violations even when offshore? So is there another path to justice for the enslaved and children.

I'll have to look it up.