NEW YORK (AP) — Appeals judges have reinstated a $656 million verdict against the Palestinian Authority following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Americans killed or injured in Israeli attacks.
The decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals follows its first ruling a decade ago against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, arguing that U.S. courts cannot consider lawsuits brought against foreign organizations for overseas attacks that were not directed at the United States.
But the appeals court reinstated the ruling following a Supreme Court ruling last June that upheld a 2019 law enacted by Congress allowing victims to bring lawsuits against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
“We conclude that the plaintiff’s original conviction should be reinstated,” the justices said in their March 30 ruling. “This conclusion is consistent with the clear meaning of the Supreme Court’s decision.”
“Our client’s family is extremely relieved that the court reinstated the sentence without the need for a new trial. They have waited a long time for justice to be served,” attorney Kent Yalowitz said in an email.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, said she was satisfied with the decision after 22 years of litigation.
The victims sued under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which was signed into law in 1992 and opened U.S. courts to victims of international terrorist attacks.
Victims and their families claimed that Palestinian agents either participated in or instigated the attacks.
Palestinians have argued that the cases should not be heard in U.S. courts.
An email seeking comment was sent to attorneys for the defendants on Sunday.
