Supreme Court Rules for Foreign Firms in Accident Suits

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has ruled that a New Jersey man who lost four fingers in a workplace accident on a metal-cutting machine cannot sue the British maker of the equipment in New Jersey.

The court voted 6-3 Monday that the manufacturer's connection to New Jersey is too tenuous to allow the lawsuit to be filed there.

In a separate case, the court similarly ruled unanimously against the relatives of two teenagers from North Carolina who were killed in a bus accident in France. The court said the relatives could not sue a foreign tire maker in state court over alleged defects that led to the accident.