Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe
Decided June 17, 2021. Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 19-416 · 593 U.S. 628 (2021) · Cited 28 times
Holding
To plead facts sufficient to support a domestic application of the Alien Tort Statute, 28 U. S. C. §1350, plaintiffs must allege more domestic conduct than general corporate activity; the Ninth Circuit’s contrary holding is reversed, and the case is remanded.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 8–1.
Majority · 8
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch · filed a concurring opinion
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Stephen G. Breyer
Dissenting · 1
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr. · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain · 542 U.S. 692 (2004)
- Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. · 569 U.S. 108 (2013)
- Erie Railroad v. Tompkins · 304 U.S. 64 (1938)
- Alexander v. Sandoval · 532 U.S. 275 (2001)
- Central Bank of Denver, N. A. v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, N. A. · 511 U.S. 164 (1994)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Morrison v. National Australia Bank Ltd. · 561 U.S. 247 (2010)
- Boyle v. United Technologies Corp. · 487 U.S. 500 (1988)
- Agency Holding Corp. v. Malley-Duff & Associates, Inc. · 483 U.S. 143 (1987)
- Chicago & Southern Air Lines, Inc. v. Waterman Steamship Corp. · 333 U.S. 103 (1948)
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Gottshall · 512 U.S. 532 (1994)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2021). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).