US Supreme Court Ends 2011 Cisco Falun Gong Suit, Narrowing 237-Year-Old Alien Tort Statute
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 23
US Supreme Court Ends 2011 Cisco Falun Gong Suit, Narrowing 237-Year-Old Alien Tort Statute
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 23
Summary
Tuesday’s ruling threw out a 2011 lawsuit accusing Cisco of helping China surveil and persecute Falun Gong members through the “Golden Shield” system.
The justices reversed a 2023 appeals-court decision that had revived the case, further limiting the Alien Tort Statute as a tool for suing US companies over abuses committed abroad.
Plaintiffs had argued Cisco knowingly provided essential technical assistance for torture, arbitrary detention, disappearances and extrajudicial killings; Cisco called the claims unfounded and offensive.
The decision extends a line of Supreme Court rulings since 2013 requiring a strong US connection for Alien Tort Statute claims, including a 2021 ruling that dismissed child-slavery claims against Cargill and a Nestlé unit.