Last year the U.S. State Department intervened in a Tort Claims Act suit seeking damages from ExxonMobil for work in Indonesia, warning the suit could imperil counterterrorism initiatives.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages is based on several claims, but rests primarily on the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act, which open the door for the Saharkizes to sue a Finnish company for goings-on in Iran.

FORBES: How similar is the lawsuit against Nokia Siemens to Wang Xiaoning v. Yahoo?