Military Injury Claims and Anti-Terrorism Cases Against Global Banks
February 07, 2018 – Iran is largely considered the foremost state sponsor of terrorism, routinely providing money, weapons and training to terrorist groups, as well as refusing to either identify or prosecute Al-Qaida senior members. Perhaps even worse is the fact that Iran’s terrorism funding was helped by the activities of certain international financial institutions. American soldiers and contractors who were killed or severely injured can conceivably trace their trauma back to monies that allowed Iran to fund terrorists.
Victims of Iranian Sponsored Terrorism in the Iraq War The bottom line in this issue is that the tens of thousands of U.S. veterans, service members, contractors and their families would not have suffered injury and death if there had been no money to purchase weapons and ammunition. Iranian-sponsored terrorists were likely responsible for the majority of the U.S. casualties in Iraq. Extremely serious injuries and disabilities to these soldiers and contractors, included amputations, traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, explosion and blast injuries, vision loss and spinal cord injuries.
Banks Responsible and Subject to State Sponsored Terrorism Lawsuits Several Global Banks have entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Consent Orders in which they admitted to processing large financial transactions for the country of Iran (a known sponsor of terrorism) in direct violation of U.S. Counter-Terrorism Sanctions. These global banks include:
- Commerzbank A.G.
- HSBC Holding Group PLC
- Standard Chartered Bank
- Barclay’s PLC
- BNP Paribas S.A.
- Credit Suisse
Each of these global banks have a presence in New York. The banks have acknowledged they transferred billions of dollars on behalf of Iran, despite being aware of the sanctions against Iran. Years ago, federal prosecutors sued these banks, who paid the U.S. hundreds of millions in fines to “delay” criminal prosecution. These cases have provided a stepping stone for private state-sponsored terrorism lawsuits.
Who Can File a United States Anti-Terrorism Lawsuit? Any U.S. veteran, service member or contractor who was severely injured or disabled as a result of Iranian sponsored terrorism may be eligible to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit against these aforementioned banks.* Under a U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act, family members of U.S. veterans, service members or contractors who were severely injured or disabled as a result of Iranian sponsored terrorism may also be eligible to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit against the banks as well.*
*unless barred by the applicable Statute of Limitations
How an Anti-Terrorism Lawyer Can Help If you or a loved one suffered injury while serving in Iraq as a direct result of Iranian sponsored terrorism, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries. If you are a Gold Star Family Member who lost a loved one to Iranian sponsored terrorism, you may be able to pursue damages as well. U.S. laws allow the victims of terrorist attacks to sue the conspirators who helped make the attacks possible—in this case, entities that that helped Iran fund terrorism. The anti-terrorism lawsuits which have already been filed, claim that global banks conspired with Iran to hide financial transactions from the United States, ignoring sanctions to do so. Iran financed military attacks in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. Having an experienced anti-terrorism attorney by your side can help you to determine whether you may be entitled to compensation, and, if so, how to pursue that compensation. Having an anti-terrorism attorney to assist you with your anti-terrorism lawsuit can be beneficial as you pursue your claim.
