EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
US Supreme Court limits human rights lawsuits against tech firms under the Alien Tort Statute, ruling 8-1 in favor of Cisco Systems.
The decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe centered on whether Cisco and its executives could be held liable for allegedly aiding Chinese government persecution of Falun Gong practitioners through surveillance technology sales. The case required the justices to interpret the scope of the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991.
The Court’s Majority Decision