Award against Hamas fundraisers
Excellent decision by Judge Arlander Keys, a Federal Magistrate Judge in Chicago...
The
New York Times has the story:
bq.
Judge Awards $156 Million in Terror Death
A federal magistrate judge on Wednesday ordered three Islamic charities and a man accused of raising money for the Palestinian militant group Hamas to pay $156 million to the parents of an American teenager killed eight years ago by terrorists in the West Bank.
bq. The judge, Arlander Keys, tripled the $52 million in damages that a federal jury awarded to Joyce and Stanley Boim, whose 17-year-old son, David, was shot and killed by members of Hamas while he waited at a bus stop.
bq. The Boims brought their lawsuit under the Antiterrorism Act of 1990, which allows any American who is a victim of terrorism abroad to collect damages in United States courts. Last month, Magistrate Judge Keys found that two charities, the Islamic Association for Palestine and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, along with Mohammed Salah, who was accused of being a fund-raiser for Hamas, knowingly gave material support to Hamas and were legally responsible for David Boim's death.
The funds of these organizations have been frozen by the US Government so it's not clear whether this will actually be awarded but as the attorney for the family says:
bq. "We're very gratified by the verdict," said Richard M. Hoffman, a lawyer for the Boims. "In one sense, I think it sends a very strong message to those who have supported terrorist organizations. It paves the road for other victims of terrorism."
Cool -- time to let these pigs know that they cannot get away with this.
Posted by DaveH at December 9, 2004 3:48 PM