Court Allows Lawsuits Under Alien Tort Statute To Proceed To Trial

A New York district court has rejected Bush administration foreign policy arguments and allowed lawsuits against multinational companies that allegedly aided the South African government during the apartheid era to proceed. Business groups are closely watching the lawsuits, which if successful could lead to new cases against firms doing business in such places as China for knowingly aiding or abetting oppressive regimes, sources said. In a decision filed on April 8, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of...