Supreme Court May Weigh Big Weapon for U.S. Companies Sued Abroad

By Paul Barrett, Bloomberg Businessweek

Can U.S. companies use the federal racketeering law to fend off costly foreign court judgments? For Chevron Corp., the answer was yes — and that saved the oil and gas giant $9.5 billion. Now the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear an appeal by Chevron antagonists, who argue that the company pulled a fast one.

The federal appeals court in New York ruled last August that Chevron, and indeed, any American corporation facing an expensive judgment abroad, may come home and use the civil provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) ...