don't piss off the Saudis! On Jun 29, 12:34 pm, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > From: *Travis* > Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009 > Subject: SUPREME COURT: 9/11 VICTIMS CAN'T SUE SAUDI ARABIA, PRINCES > > That'll make the terrorists and their supporters very happy! > > B > > http://www.nypost.com/seven/06292009/news/nationalnews/supreme_court_... > > SUPREME COURT: 9/11 VICTIMS CAN'T SUE SAUDI ARABIA, PRINCES > > ASSOCIATED PRESS > > <http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/nyp.news/nationalnews;comp='%20+adid%2...> > *June 29, 2009* -- > > WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to allow victims of the > Sept. 11 attacks to pursue lawsuits against Saudi Arabia and four Saudi > princes over charitable donations allegedly funneled to al-Qaida. > > The court, in an order Monday, is leaving in place the ruling of a federal > appeals court that the country and the princes are protected by sovereign > immunity, which generally means that foreign countries cannot be sued in > American courts. > > The Obama administration had angered some victims and families by urging the > justices to pass up the case. > > In their appeal, the more than 6,000 plaintiffs said the government's court > brief filed in early June was an "apparent effort to appease a sometime > ally" just before President Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia. > > The appeal was filed by relatives of victims killed in the attacks and > thousands of people who were injured, as well as businesses and governments > that sustained property damage and other losses. > > The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York previously had upheld a > federal judge's ruling that threw out the lawsuits. The appeals court said > the defendants were protected by sovereign immunity and the plaintiffs would > need to prove that the princes engaged in intentional actions aimed at > harming U.S. residents. > > In their appeal to the high court, both sides cited the report of the U.S. > congressional Commission that studied and criticized actions of the U.S. > government before and after the attacks. The victims noted that the report > said Saudi Arabia long had been considered the primary source of al-Qaida > funding. The Saudis' court filing, however, pointed out that the commission > "found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior > Saudi officials individually funded the organization." > > The victims' lawsuits claim that the defendants gave money to charities in > order to funnel it to terror organizations that were behind the attacks on > the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. > > The appeal also stressed that federal appeals courts have reached > conflicting decisions about when foreign governments and their officials can > be sued. > > The case is Federal Insurance Co. v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 08-640. > > One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or > else shut up. -- Arthur Koestler > > __._,_.___ > > __,_._,___ > > -- > *~@):~{> > > -- > *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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