The U.S. Court of Appeals’ ninth circuit rejected Israel-based NSO Group’s claim of immunity as a foreign sovereign, allowing a lawsuit brought by Facebook—and supported by press freedom and human rights groups—to move forward.
“The panel held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act occupies the field of foreign sovereign immunity and categorically forecloses extending immunity to any entity that falls outside the Act’s broad definition of ‘foreign state,’” reads the ruling the court issued Monday. “The panel rejected [the] defendant’s argument that it could claim foreign sovereign immunity under common-law immunity doctrines that apply to foreign officials.”
Facebook Can Sue Israel’s NSO Group, Appeals Court Says – Nextgov
