High Court to Hear Cases on Requirements to Sue Foreign States

The US Supreme Court will consider whether a company owned by a foreign state must have a certain level of contact with the US to be sued in federal court, taking up a pair of cases against India-owned Antrix Corp. Friday.

The justices will review rulings of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit requiring “minimum contacts” for a foreign state served under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The Ninth Circuit’s holding is an “outlier” among the federal appeals courts that have considered the issue, according to the petitioners, Devas Multimedia Private Ltd. and affiliated entities.

Affiliates of ...