Alien Tort Statute - Revision history

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2025-11-11T00:05:51Z

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	The '''Alien Tort Statute''' ([[Codification (law)\|codified]] in 1948 as {{UnitedStatesCode\|28\|1350}}; '''ATS'''), also called the '''Alien Tort Claims Act''' ('''ATCA'''), is a section in the [[United States Code]] that gives [[Federal judiciary of the United States\|federal courts]] jurisdiction over [[lawsuit]]s filed by foreign nationals for [[tort]]s committed in violation of [[international law]]. It was first introduced by the [[Judiciary Act of 1789]] and is one of the oldest federal laws still in effect in the U.S.		The '''Alien Tort Statute''' ([[Codification (law)\|codified]] into [[positive law]] in 1948 as {{UnitedStatesCode\|28\|1350}}; '''ATS'''), also called the '''Alien Tort Claims Act''' ('''ATCA'''), is a section in the [[United States Code]] that gives [[Federal judiciary of the United States\|federal courts]] jurisdiction over [[lawsuit]]s filed by foreign nationals for [[tort]]s committed in violation of [[international law]]. It was first introduced by the [[Judiciary Act of 1789]] and is one of the oldest federal laws still in effect in the U.S.

	The ATS was rarely cited for nearly two centuries after its enactment, and its exact purpose and scope remain debated.<ref name=":1">{{cite report \|first=Stephen P. \|last=Mulligan \|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/LSB10147.pdf \|title=The Rise and Decline of the Alien Tort Statute \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119162604/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/LSB10147.pdf \|archive-date=2020-11-19 \|publisher=Congressional Research Service \|date=June 6, 2018 \|id=LSB10147}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal \|title=Looking Without and Looking Within: Nestlé v. Doe and the Legacy of the Alien Tort Statute \|journal=ASIL Insights \|publisher=American Society of International Law \|volume=25 \|issue=12 \|first1=Kayla \|last1=Winarsky Green \|first2=Timothy \|last2=McKenzie \|date=July 15, 2021 \|url=https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/25/issue/12\|access-date=2025-04-08\|language=en\|archive-date=2021-07-15\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715190459/https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/25/issue/12\|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of the United States\|U.S. Supreme Court]] has interpreted the Act's primary purpose as "[promoting] harmony in international relations by ensuring foreign plaintiffs a remedy for international-law violations in circumstances where the absence of such a remedy might provoke foreign nations to hold the United States accountable."<ref name="Jesner">{{ussc\|name=Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC\|volume=584\|page=241\|year=2018\|docket=16-499}}.</ref>		The ATS was rarely cited for nearly two centuries after its enactment, and its exact purpose and scope remain debated.<ref name=":1">{{cite report \|first=Stephen P. \|last=Mulligan \|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/LSB10147.pdf \|title=The Rise and Decline of the Alien Tort Statute \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119162604/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/LSB10147.pdf \|archive-date=2020-11-19 \|publisher=Congressional Research Service \|date=June 6, 2018 \|id=LSB10147}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal \|title=Looking Without and Looking Within: Nestlé v. Doe and the Legacy of the Alien Tort Statute \|journal=ASIL Insights \|publisher=American Society of International Law \|volume=25 \|issue=12 \|first1=Kayla \|last1=Winarsky Green \|first2=Timothy \|last2=McKenzie \|date=July 15, 2021 \|url=https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/25/issue/12\|access-date=2025-04-08\|language=en\|archive-date=2021-07-15\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715190459/https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/25/issue/12\|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of the United States\|U.S. Supreme Court]] has interpreted the Act's primary purpose as "[promoting] harmony in international relations by ensuring foreign plaintiffs a remedy for international-law violations in circumstances where the absence of such a remedy might provoke foreign nations to hold the United States accountable."<ref name="Jesner">{{ussc\|name=Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC\|volume=584\|page=241\|year=2018\|docket=16-499}}.</ref>
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	===''Kpadeh v. Emmanuel''===		===''Kpadeh v. Emmanuel''===
	[[Charles McArther Emmanuel\|Charles McArthur Emmanuel]] (also known as "Chuckie Taylor" or "Taylor Jr."), the son of former [[President of Liberia\|Liberian president]] [[Charles Taylor (Liberia)\|Charles Taylor]], was the commander of the infamously violent Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), commonly known in Liberia as the "Demon Forces".<ref name="CNN">{{dead link\|date=March 2012}} [http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/30/taylor.torture.trial.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview "Ex-Prisoner: Taylor's Son Laughed at Torture"]. {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218050420/http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/30/taylor.torture.trial.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview \|date=2008-12-18 }}. ''[[CNN]]''. September 30, 2008.</ref> In 2006, U.S. officials arrested Taylor upon entering the U.S. (via the [[Miami International Airport]]) and the Department of Justice later charged him based on torture he committed in [[Liberia]].<ref>{{cite news\|title=Roy Belfast Jr. aka Chuckie Taylor Indicted on Torture Charges, Department of Justice\|date=December 6, 2006\|url= http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2006/December/06_crm_813.html\|access-date= February 3, 2010\|archive-date= September 1, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901175847/http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2006/December/06_crm_813.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> He was convicted of multiple counts of torture and conspiracy to torture<ref>{{cite news\|title= Roy Belfast Jr. A/K/A Chuckie Taylor Convicted on Torture Charges, Department of Justice Press Release\|date= October 30, 2008\|url= http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/October/08-crm-971.html\|access-date= February 3, 2010\|archive-date= August 31, 2009\|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090831171136/http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/October/08-crm-971.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> and was sentenced to 97 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Roy Belfast, Jr., A/K/A Chuckie Taylor, Sentenced on Torture Charges, Department of Justice Press Release\|date= December 9, 2009\|url= ~~http~~://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/breaking-news-final-judgment-issued-in.html\|access-date= August 4, 2010\|archive-date= April 8, 2011\|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110408055939/http://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/breaking-news-final-judgment-issued-in.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> The World Organization for Human Rights USA and the [[Florida International University College of Law]] filed a civil suit in the Southern District of Florida on behalf of five of Taylor's victims pursuant to the Alien Tort Statute and the [[Torture Victim Protection Act]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.humanrightsusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=150 \|publisher=World Organization for Human Rights USA \|title=Victims of Chuckie Taylor \|access-date=2010-02-03 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612035307/http://www.humanrightsusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=150 \|archive-date=2010-06-12 }}</ref> The plaintiffs won by default judgment as to liability on all counts, and in February 2010, following trial on damages at which Taylor appeared, the court found Taylor liable to the plaintiffs for damages of over $22 million.<ref>{{cite web\|url=~~http~~://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuckie%20Taylor\|publisher=Human Rights USA \|title=Chuckie Taylor\|first=Theresa\|last=Harris\|access-date=17 February 2016\|archive-date=8 January 2016\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108025817/http://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuckie%20Taylor\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>''Rufus Kpadeh et al. v. Charles McArthur Emmanuel'', No. 09-20050-civ (S.D. Fla. Feb. 5, 2010).</ref>		[[Charles McArther Emmanuel\|Charles McArthur Emmanuel]] (also known as "Chuckie Taylor" or "Taylor Jr."), the son of former [[President of Liberia\|Liberian president]] [[Charles Taylor (Liberia)\|Charles Taylor]], was the commander of the infamously violent Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), commonly known in Liberia as the "Demon Forces".<ref name="CNN">{{dead link\|date=March 2012}} [http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/30/taylor.torture.trial.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview "Ex-Prisoner: Taylor's Son Laughed at Torture"]. {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218050420/http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/30/taylor.torture.trial.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview \|date=2008-12-18 }}. ''[[CNN]]''. September 30, 2008.</ref> In 2006, U.S. officials arrested Taylor upon entering the U.S. (via the [[Miami International Airport]]) and the Department of Justice later charged him based on torture he committed in [[Liberia]].<ref>{{cite news\|title=Roy Belfast Jr. aka Chuckie Taylor Indicted on Torture Charges, Department of Justice\|date=December 6, 2006\|url= http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2006/December/06_crm_813.html\|access-date= February 3, 2010\|archive-date= September 1, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901175847/http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2006/December/06_crm_813.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> He was convicted of multiple counts of torture and conspiracy to torture<ref>{{cite news\|title= Roy Belfast Jr. A/K/A Chuckie Taylor Convicted on Torture Charges, Department of Justice Press Release\|date= October 30, 2008\|url= http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/October/08-crm-971.html\|access-date= February 3, 2010\|archive-date= August 31, 2009\|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090831171136/http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/October/08-crm-971.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> and was sentenced to 97 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Roy Belfast, Jr., A/K/A Chuckie Taylor, Sentenced on Torture Charges, Department of Justice Press Release\|date= December 9, 2009\|url= https://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/breaking-news-final-judgment-issued-in.html\|access-date= August 4, 2010\|archive-date= April 8, 2011\|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110408055939/http://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/breaking-news-final-judgment-issued-in.html\|url-status= live}}</ref> The World Organization for Human Rights USA and the [[Florida International University College of Law]] filed a civil suit in the Southern District of Florida on behalf of five of Taylor's victims pursuant to the Alien Tort Statute and the [[Torture Victim Protection Act]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.humanrightsusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=150 \|publisher=World Organization for Human Rights USA \|title=Victims of Chuckie Taylor \|access-date=2010-02-03 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612035307/http://www.humanrightsusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167&Itemid=150 \|archive-date=2010-06-12 }}</ref> The plaintiffs won by default judgment as to liability on all counts, and in February 2010, following trial on damages at which Taylor appeared, the court found Taylor liable to the plaintiffs for damages of over $22 million.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuckie%20Taylor\|publisher=Human Rights USA \|title=Chuckie Taylor\|first=Theresa\|last=Harris\|access-date=17 February 2016\|archive-date=8 January 2016\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108025817/http://humanrightsusa.blogspot.com/search/label/Chuckie%20Taylor\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>''Rufus Kpadeh et al. v. Charles McArthur Emmanuel'', No. 09-20050-civ (S.D. Fla. Feb. 5, 2010).</ref>

	===''Presbyterian Church of Sudan v. Talisman Energy, Inc.''===		===''Presbyterian Church of Sudan v. Talisman Energy, Inc.''===
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	=== ''Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co.'' ===		=== ''Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co.'' ===
	{{Excerpt\|Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co.}}		{{Excerpt\|Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co.}}

			=== Abu Ghraib ===
			{{See also\|Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse#Other legal proceedings}}

	==See also==		==See also==
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	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130730202720/https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=34+Suffolk+Transnat%27l+L.+Rev.+263&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=a28be205660753cf7050ff59e5173f20 Corporate Liability Claims Not Actionable Under Alien Tort Statute] in the ''[[Suffolk Transnational Law Review]]''		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130730202720/https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=34+Suffolk+Transnat%27l+L.+Rev.+263&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=a28be205660753cf7050ff59e5173f20 Corporate Liability Claims Not Actionable Under Alien Tort Statute] in the ''[[Suffolk Transnational Law Review]]''
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091122185738/http://www.hlrecord.org/news/debate-did-founders-want-u-s-courts-to-look-abroad-for-monsters-to-destroy-1.937204 Debate over Founders' original intent with the Alien Tort Claims Act] in the ''[[Harvard Law Record]]''		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091122185738/http://www.hlrecord.org/news/debate-did-founders-want-u-s-courts-to-look-abroad-for-monsters-to-destroy-1.937204 Debate over Founders' original intent with the Alien Tort Claims Act] in the ''[[Harvard Law Record]]''
	* [~~http~~://atstoday.blogspot.com/ Alien Tort Statute Today (last updated Feb. 2011)]		* [https://atstoday.blogspot.com/ Alien Tort Statute Today (last updated Feb. 2011)]
	* "[http://viewfromll2.com/2009/11/11/alien-tort-statute-cases-resulting-in-plaintiff-victories/ Alien Tort Statute Cases Resulting in Plaintiff Victories]" (November 11, 2009) by Susan Simpson at The View From LL2.		* "[http://viewfromll2.com/2009/11/11/alien-tort-statute-cases-resulting-in-plaintiff-victories/ Alien Tort Statute Cases Resulting in Plaintiff Victories]" (November 11, 2009) by Susan Simpson at The View From LL2.
	* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPBiATt6LU/ From corporate personhood to corporate humanity: Charlotte Luks at TEDxHampshireCollege]" on YouTube.		* "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPBiATt6LU/ From corporate personhood to corporate humanity: Charlotte Luks at TEDxHampshireCollege]" on YouTube.

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:United States federal legislation articles without infoboxes to :Category:United States federal legislation articles needing infoboxes per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

2025-06-05T22:40:29Z

Moving Category:United States federal legislation articles without infoboxes to Category:United States federal legislation articles needing infoboxes per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

← Previous revision		Revision as of 22:40, 5 June 2025
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	\| shorttitle = Alien Tort Statute		\| shorttitle = Alien Tort Statute
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	The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiffs' ATS claims against the Cisco executives. However, it reversed the dismissal of the plaintiffs' ATS claims against the corporate defendant, Cisco, and the dismissal of claims under the [[Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991\|Torture Victim Protection Act]] (TVPA) against the Cisco executives.<ref name=":02" />		The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiffs' ATS claims against the Cisco executives. However, it reversed the dismissal of the plaintiffs' ATS claims against the corporate defendant, Cisco, and the dismissal of claims under the [[Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991\|Torture Victim Protection Act]] (TVPA) against the Cisco executives.<ref name=":02" />

	The Ninth Circuit relied on the Supreme Court's decision in ''Nestlé'' to conclude that corporations can be held liable under the ATS. Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in ''Sosa'', the court held that aiding and abetting liability is cognizable under the ATS. It ruled that "plaintiffs' allegations against Cisco were sufficient to meet the applicable aiding and abetting standard".<ref name=":02" /> The case was remanded for further proceedings.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite news \|last=Gennaro \|first=Michael \|date=July 7, 2023 \|title=Ninth Circuit revives suit accusing Cisco of aiding and abetting torture in China \|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-revives-suit-accusing-cisco-of-aiding-and-abetting-torture-in-china/ \|access-date=November 16, 2024 \|work=[[Courthouse News Service]]}}</ref> In September 2024, the Ninth Circuit denied Cisco's petition for rehearing and stated that the court had "faithfully applied the Sosa framework to the facts of this case".<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Doe I, et al v. Cisco Systems, Inc., et al, No. 15-16909 (9th Cir. 2024) \|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/15-16909/15-16909-2024-09-03.html \|access-date=2025-03-09 \|website=Justia Law \|language=en}}</ref> Cisco filed a [[certiorari]] with the Supreme Court in January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Dodge \|first=William S. \|date=2025-02-04 \|title=Cisco's Cert Petition \|url=https://tlblog.org/ciscos-cert-petition/ \|access-date=2025-03-09 \|website=Transnational Litigation Blog \|language=en-US}}</ref>		The Ninth Circuit relied on the Supreme Court's decision in ''Nestlé'' to conclude that corporations can be held liable under the ATS. Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in ''Sosa'', the court held that aiding and abetting liability is cognizable under the ATS. It ruled that "plaintiffs' allegations against Cisco were sufficient to meet the applicable aiding and abetting standard".<ref name=":02" /> The case was remanded for further proceedings.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite news \|last=Gennaro \|first=Michael \|date=July 7, 2023 \|title=Ninth Circuit revives suit accusing Cisco of aiding and abetting torture in China \|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-revives-suit-accusing-cisco-of-aiding-and-abetting-torture-in-china/ \|access-date=November 16, 2024 \|work=[[Courthouse News Service]]}}</ref> In September 2024, the Ninth Circuit denied Cisco's petition for rehearing and stated that the court had "faithfully applied the Sosa framework to the facts of this case".<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Doe I, et al v. Cisco Systems, Inc., et al, No. 15-16909 (9th Cir. 2024) \|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/15-16909/15-16909-2024-09-03.html \|access-date=2025-03-09 \|website=Justia Law \|language=en}}</ref> Cisco filed a [[certiorari]] with the Supreme Court in January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Dodge \|first=William S. \|date=2025-02-04 \|title=Cisco's Cert Petition \|url=https://tlblog.org/ciscos-cert-petition/ \|access-date=2025-03-09 \|website=Transnational Litigation Blog \|language=en-US}}</ref>

	=== ''Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp.'' ===		=== ''Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp.'' ===
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	[[Category:Alien Tort Statute case law\|*]]		[[Category:Alien Tort Statute case law\|*]]

imported>Seamlessly: /* Prominent cases under the statute */

2025-04-12T20:10:53Z

Prominent cases under the statute

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