Supreme Court in multinational move

The US Supreme Court put new limits on lawsuits against multinational companies, barring claims under a federal law that has been used in suits against Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola and Pfizer.

The justices voted to dismiss a suit by Humberto Alvarez-Machain, who sought damages from one of the men who kidnapped him in Mexico at the behest of US drug agents.

Mr Alvarez-Machain tried to invoke the 1789 Alien Tort Statute, which has formed the basis of more than 30 suits accusing companies of violating international law. The justices also rejected Mr Alvarez-Machain’s separate claim against the federal government.