The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently affirmed a pivotal decision allowing sex-trafficking victims to proceed with their lawsuit against Salesforce, Inc., despite Salesforce’s attempt to invoke...more
Several prominent hotel chains have faced lawsuits for allegedly turning a blind eye to human trafficking on their premises. These cases often point to hotel staff’s failure to act on evident red flags, like frequent cash...more
It is not unusual for employers to require foreign employees to sign repayment agreements that require the employee to repay some or all required immigration process costs if the employee terminates employment before the end...more
Late last year, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation reinforcing the federal government’s zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking. The new law increases scrutiny of contractor compliance with anti-trafficking...more
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) recently released a new report finding that Army and Navy contracting officials were unaware of their oversight responsibilities regarding combating trafficking in persons....more
Companies are increasingly focusing on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of their businesses. In 2019, 90% of the S&P 500 index companies published sustainability reports. In contrast, in 2011, only 20%...more
On October 15, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of Treasury (FinCEN) released its Supplemental Advisory on Identifying and Reporting Human Trafficking and Related Activity (Supplemental...more
As the United States seeks to take more forceful action punishing China for its escalating human rights abuses against Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang autonomous region and the citizens of Hong Kong, international...more
Criminal investigations will target businesses profiting from the importation into the United States of goods made using forced labor. The new criminal enforcement initiative seeks to leverage data about corporate supply...more
As forced labor and sex trafficking prosecutions steadily increase, corporations may be exposed to criminal and civil corporate liability. The U.S. Department of Justice and state law enforcement are expected to...more
On September 26, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 2200). The bill would reauthorize the Trafficking...more
January 11 2017 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and therefore a good time to revisit some recent litigation developments. On November 9, a date on which most of the American media was focused on the Presidential...more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring....more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring. This week’s post includes: a new lawsuit aimed at combating human trafficking in corporate...more
In Doe v. Backpage.com, the First Circuit affirmed the District of Massachusetts in holding that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) shields from civil liability a website used by third parties to facilitate...more
Human trafficking is a growing problem in the United States and abroad. Although the common assumption is that human trafficking involves sex, it can also involve labor. According to the Office on Trafficking in Persons, a...more
Companies are increasingly being required to disclose how they assess and respond to the risks of human trafficking in their product supply chains. Statutes like the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act and the U.K....more
The Global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP takes great pride in announcing the Spring 2014 edition of The World in US Courts: Orrick’s Quarterly Review of Decisions Applying US Law To Global Business and...more