Syria is on the hook to pay more than $400 million to the families of two American contractors killed by a terrorist organization aided by the government led by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

 

The DC Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that sided with relatives of Eugene “Jack” Armstrong and Jack Hensley, who filed a lawsuit after the two men were beheaded in Iraq by Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi in September 2004. The group Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the abductions and executions of the two contractors, and Syria was named as the plaintiff in the civil case because it provided material support to the terrorists.

 

Syrian officials refused to respond or appear in U.S. court to defend themselves when the case first went to trial. The district judge found in favor of the families, and only then did the Syrian government file a motion to vacate the judgment on procedural and jurisdictional grounds. The Syrians claimed immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, but the court ruled that such protection is waived in cases involving material support for hostage taking or if a nation has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

 

In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel of the DC appellate court affirmed that Syria had aided Al-Qaeda in Iraq and thus contributed to the deaths of Armstrong and Hensley. Their families are owed $413 million, according to the judgment.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Syria Can't Duck $413M Fine for Iraq Beheadings (by Dan McCue, Courthouse News Service)

Court Upholds Marietta Family's Lawsuit Against Syria (by Jon Gillooly, Marietta Daily Journal)

Francis Gates v. Syrian Arab Republic (U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia) (pdf)

Dictator on the Edge: Who is Syria’s Bashar al-Assad? (by David Wallechinsky, AllGov)