Boureslan v. Arabian American Oil Company

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Determined the international application of Title VII to prevent employment discrimination in American companies abroad.

Full Case Title: 

Boureslan v. Arabian American Oil Co., 892 F.2d 1271 (5th Cir. 1990)
  • Workplace Equality and Economic Empowerment

Year: 

1990
  • International Human Rights
  • Joined Amicus Brief

Brief: 

The petitioner, an American citizen working in Saudi Arabia, filed suit against his employer, Arabian American Oil Company, a Delaware-based corporation.  The peitioner filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the grounds that he had been discriminated against because of his race, religion, and national origin.

Legal Momentum joined an amicus brief in this case, arguing that Congress intended Title VII to protect citizens working for American companies abroad.  The Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that Title VII does not apply extraterritorially to regulate the employment practices of United States firms that employ American citizens abroad.