Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court put new limits on shareholders suits against a company's banks and business partners in a ruling that may hinder efforts to recoup billions of dollars lost in frauds at Enron Corp. and HealthSouth Corp.

The justices, voting 5-3, threw out a lawsuit by Charter Communications Inc. shareholders against two of the cable company's suppliers, Motorola Inc. and Scientific-Atlanta Inc. The court said the shareholders didn't show that they relied on the alleged deception by the suppliers in making investment decisions.

The case is Stoneridge v. Scientific-Atlanta, 06-43.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 15, 2008 10:07 EST