Human-Rights Suits May Be Limited as Court Hears Shell Case
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U.S. Supreme Court justices suggested they will shield companies from some suits alleging complicity in overseas atrocities, as the court debated how far to go in scaling back a favorite legal tool of human-rights advocates.
During arguments in Washington on accusations that two foreign-based units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc facilitated torture and execution in Nigeria, the justices today questioned whether American courtrooms were the proper site for such claims. The case centers on the two-century-old Alien Tort Statute.