NEW YORK (Press Release) — ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and Crowell & Moring LLP on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, and the Popular Resistance Committees are responsible for carrying out the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel with material support from state sponsors Iran, Syria and North Korea, as well as Hezbollah, which directly harmed thousands of victims, including the more than 140 U.S. citizen victims and family members who are plaintiffs in the case.
“The world must never forget what happened on October 7,” said David and Hazel Brief, plaintiffs in the lawsuit whose son, Yona, was killed as a result of injuries sustained during the attack. “Our son’s life was senselessly cut short. We believe it is critical that those responsible for the horrific terror inflicted that day are held accountable in a court of law, to ensure the record is clear as to who helped support, plan and carry out the violence that day. We are hopeful that this type of litigation will help prevent attacks like these in the future, so that no other families have to go through losing a loved one as a result of such violence.”
The lawsuit utilizes two federal statutes that enable victims to seek justice against both state sponsors of terrorism and terrorist organizations themselves. The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (“FSIA”) allows victims to sue state sponsors of terrorism—including Iran, Syria and North Korea—in U.S. courts for acts of terrorism, torture, extrajudicial killing and hostage-taking. The Anti-Terrorism Act (“ATA”) provides civil remedies for victims of international terrorism, enabling lawsuits against foreign terrorist organizations (“FTOs”) and those who provide material support for their activities. The ATA provides a legal basis for victims to bring claims in a U.S. court of law, which in this case helps ensure foreign terrorist organizations are held accountable for the devastating damages they inflicted in these attacks.
Plaintiffs in this case are U.S. citizens who were either injured or killed as a result of the October 7 Attack, or the immediate family members of those injured or killed as a result
“The victims of the October 7 massacre deserve justice, accountability and redress,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “This lawsuit seeks to do that by holding those responsible for the carnage accountable, from the state sponsors who provided the funding, weapons, and training to the terrorist organizations who carried out these unspeakable atrocities.”
The lawsuit seeks both compensatory damages for the victims’ suffering along with punitive damages designed to deter future acts of terrorism. Beyond seeking justice for victims, the lawsuit aims to expose the mechanisms through which these countries and their allies fund terrorist operations.
ADL serves as co-counsel along with Crowell & Moring, a firm with decades of experience in representing victims of terror attacks, including cases arising from the bombing of UTA flight 772 in 1989, the bombings of the U.S. embassy in Beirut in 1983 and 1984, and the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1998, among numerous other attacks. To date, Crowell & Moring has successfully obtained billions of dollars in judgments for claims arising from international terrorism.
“State sponsors of terrorism should not be able to avoid the consequences of their heinous acts by hiding behind the proxies they materially support,” said Aryeh S. Portnoy, Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP and lead counsel on the case. “We are determined to ensure that all those responsible for the devastating harm that day are held accountable in a court of law, as we seek justice for the victims and meaningful deterrence against future acts of terror.”
This is ADL and Crowell’s second lawsuit targeting those responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. One year ago, ADL and Crowell filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 180 plaintiffs alleging state sponsors of terror Iran, Syria and North Korea provided material support to Hamas which enabled it to commit atrocities in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed, injured and terrorized U.S. citizens and their families. That case is ongoing.
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Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League