Justices say foreign business can't be sued under 1700s...
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says foreign businesses cannot be sued in U.S. courts by foreign victims of human rights abuses and extremist attacks.
The justices voted 5-4 on Tuesday in favor of Arab Bank, which is based in Jordan. The bank was sued by Israeli victims of attacks in the West Bank and Gaza who claim that it helped finance the attacks.
The victims had tried to use the 18th-century Alien Tort Statute to hold the bank accountable for its role.
The decision continues the court's paring back of a three-decade-old strategy by human rights lawyers to use civil suits to pursue individuals who may be responsible for torture and other atrocities, as well as companies with operations in countries with poor records in the area of human rights.