WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from victims of apartheid in South Africa who wanted to sue IBM Corp. and Ford Motor Co. in American courts.
The justices did not comment on their order Monday that left in place lower court rulings dismissing lawsuits filed 14 years ago against Armonk, New York-based IBM and Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford.
The high court had earlier limited circumstances in which foreigners could seek to hold companies accountable in U.S. courts for their participation in or complicity with human rights abuses abroad.
The federal appeals court in New York said IBM and Ford could not be held liable for the actions of their South African subsidiaries during the apartheid regime.
The case is Ntsebeza v. Ford Motor Co., 15-1020.
