A Saudi Arabian government-run hospital hired American Scott Nelson to be an engineer. The parties signed the employment agreement in the United States. On the job, Nelson reported that the hospital had significant safety defects. For this, he was arrested, jailed, and tortured for 39 days. Upon his release to the United States, Nelson sued the Saudi government for personal injury. Can Nelson sue Saudi Arabia

No, Nelson cannot sue. The US Supreme Court ruled that regardless of the monstrous activities carried out by the Saudi government and the fact that they tend to solve commercial disputes by putting people in jail and torturing them, the events happened in Saudi Arabia. And they were not related to the contract signed by Nelson, the police and the hospital are considered sperate entities by the US laws.

The court recognized that Saudi behavior was really bad, but they had jurisdiction over it. This is a strictly police matter. Saudi Arabia and most Arab states are known for these type of activities, but people continue to go to work there because they offer high salaries. They forget that a golden cage is still a prison.