U.S. Top Court Rejects Nestle Bid to Throw out Child Slavery Suit
Source: MSN/Reuters
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by Nestle SA, the world's largest food maker, and two other companies to throw out a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for the use of child slaves to harvest cocoa in Ivory Coast.
The high court left in place a December 2014 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Nestle, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co and Cargill Inc filed by former victims of child slavery.
The plaintiffs, who were originally from Mali, contend the companies aided and abetted human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing cocoa from Ivory Coast. While aware of the child slavery problem, the companies offered financial and technical assistance to local farmers in a bid to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa, the plaintiffs said. The case focused in part on how lower court judges have interpreted a 2013 Supreme Court decision that made it harder for plaintiffs to sue corporations in U.S. courts for abuses alleged to have occurred overseas.
In its 2013 ruling in the Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co case, the court unanimously threw out a lawsuit by 12 people from Nigeria that accused British and Dutch-based Royal Dutch Shell of aiding state-sponsored torture and murder.
The court said the law under which the Nigerians brought the case, the 1789 Alien Tort Statute, was presumed to cover only violations of international law occurring in the United States. Violations elsewhere, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, must "touch and concern" U.S. territory "with sufficient force to displace the presumption."
Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-top-court-rejects-nestle-bid-to-throw-out-child-slavery-suit/ar-CColvs?li=BBnb7Kz
1 hour ago.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I like the 'M.' - so evil, they're unmentionable. 
Monsatan's best-selling additive (and a favorite of some even here on DU, we now learn). 
Nestlé Women in Leadership Meet Hillary Clinton
Mar 6, 2014
On March 4, Nestlé USA hosted the final event of the three-part World Leaders Speaker Series for Nestlé Women in Leadership featuring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This event was also a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach, Calif. In support of our Healthy Kids effort, we have selected the Boys & Girls Club of America as a strategic partner for Nestlé USA to continue our outreach into communities across the country and educate young people about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Paul Grimwood, Nestlé USA Chairman & CEO, attended the event with more than 25 female leaders from Nestlé companies in the U.S. Paul also met privately with Mrs. Clinton to learn more about the work that the Clinton Foundation is doing in the area of global health, protecting the environment, and promoting health and wellness among young people.
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