Class action claim by Malian child plaintiffs allegedly trafficked by cocoa growers into Cote D'Ivoire and forced to work in cocoa fields that supplied cocoa beans to defendants. Plaintiffs claimed defendants aided and abetted numerous violations of international and US law. Court granted defendants' motion to dismiss with leave to amend.
1st Instance:
Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Date of decision: 2010
Reference: Docket number: 2:05-cv-05133-SVW-JTL
All the charges were dismissed by the Court.
The court held that: (1) the allegations failed to satisfy relevant actus reus and mens rea standards under international law for aiding and abetting; (2) the complaint did not identify any conduct by the defendants that materially affected the conduct of the Ivorian traffickers; and (3) corporations as such cannot be sued under the Alien Tort Statute because corporate liability is not universal and well defined under international law.
28 U.S.C. § 1350
28 U.S.C. § 1350
28 U.S.C. § 1350
US Constitution, Thirteenth Amendment
18 U.S.C. §§ 1589, 1590, and 1595
California Constitution, Art. 1, § 6
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
