thedrifter
01-31-08, 06:20 AM
Beirut survivors, families hail right to sue over 1983 attack
BY JENNIFER HLAD
January 30, 2008 - 11:07PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Families and survivors of the terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, now have a chance to collect damages from the government that sponsored the attack.
The Department of Defense authorization bill, signed into law this week by President Bush, includes legislation designed to allow victims of state-sponsored terrorism to sue and collect assets from the countries that supported the acts.
Bush vetoed the bill in December, saying the Justice for Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Act could derail reconstruction in Iraq by exposing the government to lawsuits for acts carried out when Saddam Hussein was in power.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, R-N.J., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., co-sponsors of the act, worked with congressional leaders to keep the legislation attached to the defense bill, “while giving the administration authority to waive the provision in cases related to Iraq,” according to a press release on Lautenberg’s Web site.
While a federal judge in September ruled that Iran owes the families of the 1983 Beirut bombing $2.66 billion in damages for the attack, there was no way for those families to collect that money until now.
Debby Horner’s husband died in the 1983 barracks bombing when their son was 2 years old. She was involved in the Peterson vs. Islamic Republic of Iran case and said she was ecstatic when she heard the legislation had passed.
“We were crying, we were laughing, calling everybody we knew,” said Horner, who lives in Nashville, Tenn. “We’d had so many people praying for it.”
Horner said she and other relatives of service members who died were worried when Bush originally vetoed the bill, though she said he understands why he did it.
And though no amount of money can erase the pain, Horner said forcing Iran to pay “attaches ownership to someone.”
“For the longest time, we didn’t know,” Horner said. “They were there as peacekeepers. Nobody told us why this happened.”
Dan Gaskill, a lawyer involved the Peterson case and a sister case that includes local Beirut bombing victims, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the new law.
“This thing has been going on for almost 25 years. These people have not gotten any redress at all. Nothing has happened to Iran, ever,” he said. “The signing of this bill makes it where it could be a reality, where these people might be able to get some redress.”
In addition to allowing the families of Beirut victims to pursue frozen Iranian assets, the new law also allows those who have not been involved in any previous lawsuits a short window of time to file a claim, Gaskill said.
“We believe there are enough assets for all of these cases,” he said.
The law also allows victims of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis to sue Iran in U.S. courts for damages, according to the release from Lautenberg’s office.
Ellie
BY JENNIFER HLAD
January 30, 2008 - 11:07PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Families and survivors of the terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, now have a chance to collect damages from the government that sponsored the attack.
The Department of Defense authorization bill, signed into law this week by President Bush, includes legislation designed to allow victims of state-sponsored terrorism to sue and collect assets from the countries that supported the acts.
Bush vetoed the bill in December, saying the Justice for Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Act could derail reconstruction in Iraq by exposing the government to lawsuits for acts carried out when Saddam Hussein was in power.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, R-N.J., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., co-sponsors of the act, worked with congressional leaders to keep the legislation attached to the defense bill, “while giving the administration authority to waive the provision in cases related to Iraq,” according to a press release on Lautenberg’s Web site.
While a federal judge in September ruled that Iran owes the families of the 1983 Beirut bombing $2.66 billion in damages for the attack, there was no way for those families to collect that money until now.
Debby Horner’s husband died in the 1983 barracks bombing when their son was 2 years old. She was involved in the Peterson vs. Islamic Republic of Iran case and said she was ecstatic when she heard the legislation had passed.
“We were crying, we were laughing, calling everybody we knew,” said Horner, who lives in Nashville, Tenn. “We’d had so many people praying for it.”
Horner said she and other relatives of service members who died were worried when Bush originally vetoed the bill, though she said he understands why he did it.
And though no amount of money can erase the pain, Horner said forcing Iran to pay “attaches ownership to someone.”
“For the longest time, we didn’t know,” Horner said. “They were there as peacekeepers. Nobody told us why this happened.”
Dan Gaskill, a lawyer involved the Peterson case and a sister case that includes local Beirut bombing victims, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the new law.
“This thing has been going on for almost 25 years. These people have not gotten any redress at all. Nothing has happened to Iran, ever,” he said. “The signing of this bill makes it where it could be a reality, where these people might be able to get some redress.”
In addition to allowing the families of Beirut victims to pursue frozen Iranian assets, the new law also allows those who have not been involved in any previous lawsuits a short window of time to file a claim, Gaskill said.
“We believe there are enough assets for all of these cases,” he said.
The law also allows victims of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis to sue Iran in U.S. courts for damages, according to the release from Lautenberg’s office.
Ellie