The U.S. Supreme Court ordered reconsideration of a ruling that would require Rio Tinto Plc to defend against a lawsuit accusing the mining company of contributing to genocide in Papua New Guinea.
Setting aside a lower court ruling today, the justices pointed to their decision last week scaling back the 1789 Alien Tort Statute. That law, also being invoked in the Rio Tinto case, has been a favorite tool of human-rights advocates seeking to hold companies responsible for overseas atrocities.
