A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a closely watched lawsuit claiming a Canadian oil company should be held liable for human rights violations by the Sudanese government.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled today in The Presbyterian Church of Sudan v. Talisman Energy, Inc., 07-0016, that Southern District Judge Denise L. Cote had applied the proper standard in determining the reach of the Alien Tort Statute.