Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe · ¶46
Plaintiffs counter that “subjects” is broad enough to include aiding-and-abetting liability. It is not. To “subject” another to torture means “to cause to undergo or submit to.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary 2275 (1993); see also American Heritage Dictionary 1788 (3d ed. 1992) (“[t]o cause to experience”). The term thus signals a causal connection between torturer and victim. Aiding-and-abetting liability, by contrast, encompasses many forms of assistance provided by those who are one (or more) steps removed from the torturer. See Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, 598 U. S. 471, 497 (2023) (disclaiming a “strict nexus” requirement). Central Bank rejected a similar argument—that the phrase “‘directly or indirectly’” in §10(b) authorized aidingand-abetting liability. 511 U. S., at 175−176. The “basic flaw” in that interpretation “is that aiding and abetting liability extends beyond…Read in context ›
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