$156,000,000 Verdict Against Terrorists Thrown Out

Seth Miles

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit overturned a $156,000,000 verdict against the terrorist organization, Hamas. The case stemmed from David Boim, a 17-year-old student, being gunned down in 1996 while waiting with other students at a bus stop in Beit El, on the West Bank. The Court said that the judge in the case had failed to require the parents to properly show a link between the boy's death and the fundraising activities of the charities. The case will be returned for a new trial. Unfortunately, the Court really missed the boat on this case. I have handled several similar cases.

It is very difficult to acquire hard evidence. Defendants, who are often state-sponsored, are intransigent; the United States government is often hostile to the case, citing diplomacy concerns; and Courts are loathe to try and hold Defendants responsible. Meanwhile, these most culpable of Defendants, escape laws Congress enacted that were specifically intended to hold them responsible. All in all, a very disappointing ruling.