Rulings signal US courts may be more open to lawsuits accusing foreign officials of abuses

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. court has given two top associates of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman until early November to turn over any evidence in a lawsuit. The case was brought by a former senior Saudi intelligence official who says he survived a Saudi plot to kill him. The order is one of several recent rulings that legal experts say are buoying efforts to hold foreign governments and officials accountable in U.S. courts for rights abuses. Lawyers for Saudi officials say there’s no evidence for the claim of an assassination attempt in 2018. A recent federal appeals court reinstated part of the man’s lawsuit, saying he’s entitled to gather any evidence from the two Saudi aides.