Cisco-China Human Rights Abuse Lawsuit Revived by Appeals Court

Cisco Systems Inc. can be sued over allegations the company used its technology to help Chinese authorities perpetrate religious persecution of Falun Gong followers, an appeals court said in a ruling that threatens to exacerbate tensions between the US and China.

Overturning a decision from nine years ago by a lower-court judge who dismissed the case, a panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said some claims can proceed. The lawsuit has been on hold while the US Supreme Court had considered other cases that may have impacted this one.

The appeals court ruling stems from a suit ...