Supreme Court Curbs Corporate Liability for Aiding Human Rights Abuses Abroad

In a 6-3 decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe I, the Supreme Court significantly curtailed the ability of plaintiffs to pursue human rights claims against multinational companies in U.S. federal courts. The ruling largely ends corporate liability for aiding-and-abetting human rights abuses committed by foreign governments under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA), holding that federal courts cannot create new private causes of action under the ATS and that the TVPA does not extend to aiding-and-abetting claims.