The Supreme Court is giving Venezuela another chance to fend off a lawsuit alleging the country illegally seized 11 oil drilling rigs from an Oklahoma-based company in 2010.
The justice ruled unanimously on Monday that a judge had set the bar too low in allowing the lawsuit brought by Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Company to move forward.
Foreign countries are generally immune from lawsuits in the U.S., but a federal statute makes an exception in certain cases when private property is seized.
The U.S. government had sided with Venezuela, arguing that ruling for the company could harm foreign relations and lead other countries to retaliate against American interests.