WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court will decide whether American corporations can be sued for alleged human rights abuses occurring abroad under a 1789 law, agreeing on Thursday to hear appeals by two companies: Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary: accused of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms. The two companies are asking the nine justices to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed the lawsuit, filed on behalf of former child slaves from Mali who worked on the farms, against the companies filed under the Alien Tort Statute to proceed. The lawsuits targeted the US subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle, the world's biggest food producer, and commodities trader Cargill, the largest privately held US company. The case concerns the 18th century US law called the Alien Tort Statute that lets non-US citizens seek damages in American courts in certain instances. The business community has long sought to limit corporate liability under the Alien Tort Statute. … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court takes up Nestle, Cargill appeals over human rights claims