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U.S. Supreme Court rules for Nestle, Cargill over slavery lawsuit

U.S. Supreme Court rules for Nestle, Cargill over slavery lawsuit

THE U.S. Supreme Court yesterday threw out a lawsuit accusing Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms, but sidestepped a broader ruling on the permissibility of suits accusing American companies of human rights violations abroad. The 8-1 ruling authored by Justice Clarence Thomas reversed a lower court decision that had allowed the lawsuit, brought on behalf of former child slaves from Mali who worked at the farms, filed against the companies in 2005 to proceed. The court ruled the claim could not be brought under the Alien Tort Statute, which…
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Chocolate makers trace more cocoa beans to ensure ethical sourcing

Chocolate makers trace more cocoa beans to ensure ethical sourcing

MAYTAAL ANGEL CHOCOLATE and cocoa companies are tracing where more of their cocoa beans come from, as pressure mounts on them to buy beans from growers who are not linked to deforestation or human rights abuses, data from the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) shows. The industry group said companies can now trace or locate the origin of 74% of the beans in their direct supply chain in top cocoa producer Ivory Coast, and 82% of their directly sourced beans in No. 2 producer Ghana. Directly sourced cocoa accounts for about half the beans that cocoa and chocolate companies source, while…
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U.S. judges question Ivory Coast cocoa farm slavery claims against Nestle and Cargill

U.S. judges question Ivory Coast cocoa farm slavery claims against Nestle and Cargill

LAWRENCE HURLEY U.S. Supreme Court justices have appeared wary of barring lawsuits against American companies over alleged human rights abuses abroad but signalled they could toss out a case accusing Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary 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, brought on behalf of former child slaves from Mali who worked at the farms, filed against them in 2005 to proceed. The case concerns a 1789 U.S. law called the Alien Tort Statute that lets…
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