US Federal Court Junks Congo Child Labor Lawsuit Vs Big Techs

A US Federal court has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell, and Microsoft of supporting child labor to mine cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DC Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neomi Rao ruled that purchasing cobalt from a global supply chain in Congo "is not 'participation in a venture'" of the child trafficking, CNN reported.

Rao wrote that the plaintiff failed to provide enough evidence of a "shared enterprise between the Companies and the suppliers who facilitate forced labor" to warrant a violation of federal anti-trafficking law.

The decision was unanimous.

This is the second time the child labor case against the Big Techs was dismissed by a federal court since it was first filed in 2019.

A Columbia District court first junked the class-action lawsuit in 2021 after ruling that the companies only participated in the global cobalt supply chain and did not form a venture with the miners.

Cobalt Mining is a Growing Business Amid Labor Abuses

Despite the massive class action over child labor violations, child trafficking and abuse continue to be reported in its cobalt mines.

According to NPR, cobalt mining operations on the African country has only expanded following the increased demand for rechargeable EV batteries from western nations.

Cobalt is a common material used in most electronic devices and batteries thanks to its powerful magnetic forces with copper and aluminum, materials often used with semiconductors.

Nearly two-thirds of the world source their cobalt the DRC.

Child Labor Issues Continue to Persist on Congo's Cobalt Mines

Cobalt mining is considered a dangerous task even for professionals due to their exposure to dust and particles inhaled from the open pit where they source the metal.

Many of the children working in these mines contracted various diseases, including cancer.

Representatives of the children who were killed in these mines were among those who filed the lawsuit against the Big Techs.

Part of the complaint was that the issue was "deliberately obscured" from the public with the involved companies not speaking out against the abuse.