Reply #2: Bushco has been fighting to have this case thrown out, as well as the law [View All]

[enough]

it is based on (the Alien Tort Claims Act). This is a great victory by some very dedicated lawyers who have been working on this case against all odds for years.


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The federal case relied on the obscure 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act that was originally enacted to prosecute pirates.

The pending Unocal settlement proves the statute can be used to take corporations to U.S. courts in cases involving allegations of "serious human rights abuses or complicity in serious human rights abuses," said David Weissbrodt, a University of Minnesota Law School professor and expert on international human rights law.

The plaintiffs' case was bolstered by a separate U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that allowed lawsuits under the act if there are alleged violations of international law, said Connie de la Vega, a law professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

"The fact that there was a ruling that these causes of action are legitimate is what encouraged the settlement," de la Vega said.

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