The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses a lawsuit brought by members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement alleging that Cisco Systems helped China persecute the group. The plaintiffs claimed Cisco knowingly developed technology used by Chinese authorities to surveil and target Falun Gong practitioners. In a decision issued Tuesday, the justices rule against the plaintiffs under the Alien Tort Statute, an 18th-century law that can be used to bring certain claims in U.S. courts for alleged wrongdoing abroad. The court reverses a lower court ruling that had revived the 2011 case, effectively ending the litigation against Cisco and two then-executives. Sources also note that the ruling narrows the circumstances under which companies can be held liable for alleged participation in overseas human-rights abuses, with potential broader implications for future cases seeking to use the Alien Tort Statute against corporations. Multiple outlets report the decision is 6–3.
U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Falun Gong lawsuit against Cisco, limiting corporate liability abroad
The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses a lawsuit brought by members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement alleging that Cisco Systems helped China persecute the group. The plaintiffs claimed Cisco knowingly...
- Members of the Falun Gong movement sued Cisco, alleging its technology aided China’s surveillance and persecution of the group.
- The lawsuit is brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a federal law used in certain claims involving alleged abuses abroad.
- The U.S. Supreme Court reverses a lower-court decision that had allowed the case to proceed.
- The Supreme Court dismisses the claims against Cisco and two then-executives, ending the lawsuit.
- The ruling limits the reach of the Alien Tort Statute in holding corporations responsible for alleged international human-rights abuses.
Members of the Falun Gong movement had accused Cisco of helping develop technology used by China to monitor and persecute followers
13 hours agoThe Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement cannot sue tech giant Cisco over allegations of aiding the Chinese government’s surveillance and torture of the group. The conservative majority rejected the plaintiffs’ attempt to bring claims against the company and two of its then-executives under the 18th century Alien Tort Statute...
13 hours agoThe court’s decision could have broader implications for whether companies can be held liable for aiding in international human rights abuses.
13 hours agoSuit alleged California-based company developed technology that allowed China to surveil members of movementThe US supreme court further limited the reach of a federal law used to hold corporations liable for human rights abuses committed abroad, as it issued a ruling on Tuesday ending a lawsuit by members of the Falun Gong movement accusing Cisco Systems of facilitating religious persecution in China.The justices reversed a lower court’s decision that had breathed new life into the 2011 lawsuit, which was brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. The suit had alleged that Cisco knowingly developed technology that allowed China’s government to surveil and persecute Falun Gong members. Continue reading...
13 hours agoThe Supreme Court has granted tech giant Cisco’s bid to shut down a lawsuit claiming that the company’s technology was used to persecute members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in China
13 hours agoThe US Supreme Court put new limits on lawsuits against companies over atrocities abroad, rejecting a suit accusing Cisco Systems Inc. of complicity in China’s torture of Falun Gong adherents.
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