U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin’s already strained relationship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit probably won’t improve anytime soon.
Scheindlin ruled Thursday that victims of South African apartheid can seek compensation from three Fortune 100 companies under the Alien Tort Statute, directly contradicting a Second Circuit ruling in another ATS case. In a 30-page decision, the New York judge held that Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company and International Business Machines Corp. can be held liable because they provided equipment to the South African government.
