DOJ Urges High Court to Shield Companies From Slave Labor Suits

U.S. companies should be shielded from liability under a centuries-old law for assisting in child slavery, the Justice Department has told the Supreme Court.

That argument was delivered in a Trump administration filing on Tuesday urging the justices to review a lower court ruling that allowed former child slaves to move forward with their decade-long suit against U.S. manufacturers, processors, and retailers of cocoa beans accused of aiding and abetting human rights abuses.

The former slaves say they were kidnapped and forced work up to 14 hours a day without pay, while others were beaten and tortured.

The justices requested ...