Nestle, Cargill Win Dismissal of Ex-Child Slaves' Lawsuit
- Judge says no allegation that any abuses were planned in U.S.
- U.S. Supreme Court set high bar for overseas wrongdoing cases
Cocoa seeds sit on mats to dry on a roadside in Agboville, Ivory Coast, on Sept. 1, 2015.
Photographer: Jose Cendon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Nestle SA’s U.S. unit and Cargill Inc. won dismissal of a lawsuit by six former child slaves from Mali who sought to hold the cocoa importers liable for their captivity and mistreatment on farms in neighboring Ivory Coast.
A Los Angeles federal judge agreed with the companies that the former laborers couldn’t sue in the U.S. over wrongdoing that occurred in Africa and that the former child slaves had failed to show that any domestic conduct by the two companies was linked to the use of forced labor at their overseas suppliers.