TheSupreme CourtOn Thursday, Mexico filed a lawsuit of 10 billion US dollarsAntitrustplague the country.
In a victory for the firearm industry, the unanimous judgment threw the case under a US law that largely protects consciousness makers from liability if their firearms are used in crime.
The congress passed the law two decades ago to stop a flood of complaints against shooters that were similar to the submitted case, wrote justice Elena Kagan. Her opinion raised a court order that made the lawsuit advance because the companies themselves were accused of violating the law.
Kagan wrote that Mexico’s lawsuit was not a plausible reasoning that companies knowingly helped the arms trade into the country.
“It is not determined how most claims for the support and heirs, specific criminal transactions that the accused were (supposedly) helped,” wrote Kagan.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision has not agreed and would continue his fight against firearm trade. “Mexico has presented solid arguments that show the damage that causes the weapon manufacturing company to cause our country,” said an explanation.
The Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed out a second lawsuit by the country against five weapon shops and retailers in Arizona. “We will see what the result is and we will let it know,” she said.
Mexico has strict weapons laws and hasJust one businesswhere people can legally buy firearms. But thousands of weapons are smuggled byThe powerful drug cartels in the countryyearly.
The Mexican government says that at least 70% of these weapons come from the United States. In the lawsuit it was said that companies knew that weapons were sold to human retailers who smuggled them to Mexico and decided to earn this market.
The Mexican government first submitted its oneBlockbuster suitIn 2021 against some of the largest weapon companies, including Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt and Glock.
The companies have long rejected Mexico and argued that the country cannot prove that they are responsible for relatively few people who use their products to commit violence. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court agrees that we are not legally responsible for misusing criminals this product to violate people, and smuggles to Mexico to be used by drug cartels,” said lawyer Noel Francisco, Smith & Wesson.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation trading group also applauded the judgment and added that the consciousness makers work with the US authorities to prevent arms trade. “This is an enormous victory for the firearm industry and the rule of law,” said Lawrence Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
A federal judge threw the lawsuit as part of the law on the protection of the Lawfof Commerce law in Arms from 2005, but the first US Court of Appeal in Boston revived it with the exception of cases in which companies had operated illegal business practices.
This exception has appeared in other cases, including inLaws that come from mass shootings.
Families of victims of the mass shooting of 2012 at 2012Sandhaken primary schoolIn Newtown, Connecticut argued, for example, that it had applied for her complaint20 first graders and six educatorswere killed.
The families finally secured a Mormark settlement of 73 million US dollars with Remington, the manufacturer of the rifle.
The judgment of the Supreme Court does not seem to rule out these cases, said David Pucino, legal director of the Gifford Law Center, to prevent weapons violence. “All survivors in the United States, Mexico and somewhere else deserve their day in court and we will continue to support them in their struggle for justice,” he said.
This story was originally on Fortune.com
