The US Supreme Court rules against a lawsuit alleging that Cisco Systems helped the Chinese government persecute Falun Gong members. Several outlets report that the case is brought by Falun Gong practitioners and related parties, who allege Cisco developed or provided technology used by China for surveillance and related abuses against the movement. The court reverses a prior decision that had allowed the case to proceed, and it dismisses the claims against Cisco and two then-executives. The decision also constrains the broader use of the Alien Tort Statute, a federal law that has been used in attempts to hold companies accountable in US courts for alleged human-rights abuses committed abroad. Reported as a 6–3 ruling, the justices decide that the plaintiffs cannot pursue their theory of liability under the statute as applied to these circumstances. Outlets note that the ruling has implications beyond Cisco, potentially limiting when and how plaintiffs can bring human-rights-related claims against companies for conduct connected to events in other countries.
US Supreme Court dismisses Falun Gong lawsuit against Cisco, narrows corporate liability abroad
The US Supreme Court rules against a lawsuit alleging that Cisco Systems helped the Chinese government persecute Falun Gong members. Several outlets report that the case is brought by Falun Gong pract...
- The Supreme Court dismisses a lawsuit brought by Falun Gong practitioners alleging Cisco aided China’s surveillance and persecution of the group.
- The plaintiffs allege Cisco developed technology used by China to monitor Falun Gong members.
- The court reverses a lower-court ruling that had allowed the 2011 lawsuit to continue.
- The decision narrows the ability to use the Alien Tort Statute to sue companies over alleged human-rights abuses committed abroad.
- The ruling is reported as 6–3 and also covers claims against two then-executives.
Members of the Falun Gong movement had accused Cisco of helping develop technology used by China to monitor and persecute followers
1 month 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...
1 month agoThe court’s decision could have broader implications for whether companies can be held liable for aiding in international human rights abuses.
1 month 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...
1 month 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
1 month ago
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