[Newsday] Anthony M. Destefano - Families of Sept. 11 victims were rebuffed again Thursday in their attempt to hold Saudi Arabia legally responsible for the terror attacks. A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan found that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four Saudi princes, a Saudi banker and the Saudi commission responsible for disbursing funds to charities were protected from lawsuits under U.S. law. Under the sovereign immunity doctrine, foreign governments and officials can't be sued in the U.S. except for damages in auto accidents and other torts, commercial activity, or state sponsorship of terrorism. The terrorism exception isn't relevant to the Saudis because "The Kingdom has not been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States," said the court.
2008-08-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive