US Court Delays Ruling On MTN $4.2 Billion Iran Suit
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2012/10/us-court-delays-ruling-on-mtn-42.html
A U.S. court has delayed ruling on a $4.2 billion suit by Turkish mobile operator Turkcell against South African rival MTN Group, pending a Supreme Court decision on a separate case, the two companies said.
Turkey's largest cell phone operator sued MTN in a U.S. federal court in March, alleging the Johannesburg-based company used bribery and attempted trafficking of political influence to win a mobile licence in Iran that was first awarded to Turkcell.
MTN has asked for the case to be dismissed, saying the suit has no legal merit and a U.S. court does not have jurisdiction over the case.
The court has put the suit on hold, the two companies said in separate statements late on Friday, to await a Supreme Court decision on a different case using the Alien Tort Statute - the human rights law on which Turkcell's suit is based.
This month the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Shell, a high-profile case where 12 Nigerians accuse the Anglo-Dutch oil company of complicity in human rights abuses in the African country.
The Supreme Court will decide in the Kiobel case whether the Alien Tort Statute - an 18th century law that has usually been reserved for human rights abuses - can be used to sue foreign corporations in U.S. courts.
Whether or not the Turkcell can proceed in its U.S. lawsuit is likely to be dependent on the ruling in the Kiobel case, legal experts have said.
MTN has asked for the case to be dismissed, saying the suit has no legal merit and a U.S. court does not have jurisdiction over the case.
The court has put the suit on hold, the two companies said in separate statements late on Friday, to await a Supreme Court decision on a different case using the Alien Tort Statute - the human rights law on which Turkcell's suit is based.
This month the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Shell, a high-profile case where 12 Nigerians accuse the Anglo-Dutch oil company of complicity in human rights abuses in the African country.
The Supreme Court will decide in the Kiobel case whether the Alien Tort Statute - an 18th century law that has usually been reserved for human rights abuses - can be used to sue foreign corporations in U.S. courts.
Whether or not the Turkcell can proceed in its U.S. lawsuit is likely to be dependent on the ruling in the Kiobel case, legal experts have said.
