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Supreme Court divided over USS Cole bombing lawsuit against Sudan
Source: Reuters
SUPREME COURT NOVEMBER 7, 2018 / 1:48 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Supreme Court divided over USS Cole bombing lawsuit against Sudan
Andrew Chung
3 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared divided on Wednesday as they weighed an effort by Sudan, backed by the U.S. government, to avoid paying $314.7 million in damages to American sailors injured in a 2000 deadly bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole by the al Qaeda militant group.
The justices heard oral arguments in Sudan’s appeal of a 2015 lower court ruling that allowed the sailors to collect the damages.
The dispute centers on Sudan’s contention that it was not properly notified of the lawsuit when the claims were delivered in 2010 to its embassy in Washington rather than to its minister of foreign affairs in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, as required by U.S. and international law.
The administration of President Donald Trump agreed with Sudan, saying the case could impact how the U.S. government is treated by foreign courts since the United States rejects judicial notices delivered to its embassies.
Some justices appeared sensitive to the government’s arguments. Trump’s newest appointee to the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggested that a lawyer for the sailors, Kannon Shanmugam, was downplaying the problem despite a major international treaty on diplomatic relations.
-snip-
Supreme Court divided over USS Cole bombing lawsuit against Sudan
Andrew Chung
3 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared divided on Wednesday as they weighed an effort by Sudan, backed by the U.S. government, to avoid paying $314.7 million in damages to American sailors injured in a 2000 deadly bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole by the al Qaeda militant group.
The justices heard oral arguments in Sudan’s appeal of a 2015 lower court ruling that allowed the sailors to collect the damages.
The dispute centers on Sudan’s contention that it was not properly notified of the lawsuit when the claims were delivered in 2010 to its embassy in Washington rather than to its minister of foreign affairs in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, as required by U.S. and international law.
The administration of President Donald Trump agreed with Sudan, saying the case could impact how the U.S. government is treated by foreign courts since the United States rejects judicial notices delivered to its embassies.
Some justices appeared sensitive to the government’s arguments. Trump’s newest appointee to the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggested that a lawyer for the sailors, Kannon Shanmugam, was downplaying the problem despite a major international treaty on diplomatic relations.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-sudan/supreme-court-divided-over-uss-cole-bombing-lawsuit-against-sudan-idUSKCN1NC2LQ