In a move that may open the door for human rights cases against American corporations, the Supreme Court ruled that foreigners can file lawsuits in American courts to address some abuses overseas. Human rights advocates applauded the decision which they say will make corporations accountable for violating certain international standards. The ruling will most likely be applied to the upcoming case against Unocal Corp. which is based in El Segundo. Unocal has been sued for murder, rape and forced labor allegedly committed by soldiers guarding their gas pipeline project.
See "Court OKs Foreign-Abuse Suits", Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2004