NY appeals court rules for Canadian energy company

NY court rules in favor of Canada's biggest independent oil company in genocide lawsuit

• On 6:57 pm EDT, Friday October 2, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal appeals court in New York has ruled that a lawsuit alleging that a Canadian energy company aided genocide in its pursuit of oil in Sudan was properly thrown out.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan agreed Friday with a 2006 judge's ruling that found there was no credible evidence to support the claims against Calgary-based Talisman Energy Inc.

The company is Canada's biggest independent oil and gas exploration and production company.

A 2001 lawsuit seeking unspecified damages was brought by the Presbyterian Church of Sudan on behalf of current and former residents of southern Sudan who suffered injuries during six years of a decades-long conflict in the region.

Both the Canadian and U.S. governments had opposed the lawsuit.