Find Out if You or a Loved One May Have Military Injury Claims Under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act
September 06, 2018 – Terrorism often feels like a very removed concept from our everyday lives. While we may occasionally hear about acts of terror on the news, for some, acts of terrorism have struck much closer to home. Many United States soldiers, civilian contractors and the families of contractors and soldiers have suffered from these terrorist acts—either they did not live through the terrorist acts and their families must deal with their death, or they did make it home, injured and with a very uncertain future.
It has recently come to light that some of the world’s biggest banks may have played a part in laundering Iranian funds in violation of U.S. sanctions. In fact, a significant number of bombings, explosions and other attacks on American citizens and soldiers who were stationed or working in Iraq or Afghanistan during the wars were funded by Iran—a known sponsor of terrorism. In direct violation of U.S. Counter-Terrorism Sanctions, these global banks were responsible for processing large financial transactions for Iran—which were then used to fund terrorism.
Billions Paid to the U.S. Government in 2014 by Banks Who Violated Sanctions A few years back, in 2014, several of these global banks settled with the U.S. government, paying millions—even billions in the case of one bank. In return, the United States agreed to delay criminal prosecution of the banks, which probably means the banks will never face criminal charges despite the fact they admitted their part in funneling large financial transactions for Iran through banking channels. Iran then used those monies to fund violent Iraq and Afghanistan terrorism acts.
Which Banks Were Involved? The banks which admitted violating U.S. sanctions include Standard Chartered, Barclays, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank A.G and Credit Suisse. Although these banks did not directly do business with terrorists, they did transfer billions of dollars on behalf of Iran. Iran then was able to fund, train and arm terrorist groups. These terrorist groups then committed acts of terror against U.S. soldiers and American civilian contractors. Those who were harmed—or their families in some cases—now have the right to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit against the banks who violated U.S. sanctions regarding terrorism.
Could You Benefit from Filing an Anti-Terrorism Lawsuit? The billions of dollars funneled through these European banks allowed Iran to facilitate acts of terrorism. Although it is likely the banks will claim they were nothing more than the “physical conduit” of the money transfers, rather than being involved in an actual conspiracy, this may be difficult for them to assert since they admitted their wrongdoing in 2014. If you believe you are entitled to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit for injuries you sustained in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, there is evidence to show these EU banks deliberately and knowingly disregarded U.S. sanctions against Iran.
This disregard for human lives resulted in serious injury and death to many civilian contractors and U.S. soldiers. Should you choose to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit, your attorney will assert the banks are liable for providing material support to countries which supported terrorists—in direct violation of the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act. You are entitled to a free claim review from a knowledgeable anti-terrorism attorney if you suffered explosive device injuries or other types of injuries in the Afghanistan or Iraq wars.
Your damages may include physical injury damages, mental anguish, economic losses, pain and suffering, and possibly even punitive damages. If you are a family member of a solider or civilian contractor who suffered explosion injuries while in Afghanistan or Iraq and subsequently died, you could also benefit from speaking to an experienced anti-terrorism attorney who has a comprehensive understanding of all the issues.
