The U.S. Supreme Court ended a long-running lawsuit against Cisco Systems Inc. on Tuesday. The ruling shields the company from liability regarding allegations it aided the Chinese government in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
Members of the spiritual group claimed Cisco’s surveillance technology led to their tracking, imprisonment, and torture. The decision further limits the reach of the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 law used to sue U.S. corporations for foreign human rights abuses.
Plaintiffs first filed the lawsuit in 2011, alleging Cisco knowingly built China’s Golden Shield surveillance network. Cisco maintains the allegations are unfounded and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.