Iraqi in Blackwater case rejects compensation deal

[VanW]

Source: AP

By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer

Sunday, January 10, 2010

(01-10) 08:17 PST BAGHDAD, (AP) --

An Iraqi injured by the U.S. private security firm once known as Blackwater said Sunday he would not accept a compensation deal for injuries he suffered after company employees opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square because the amount of money offered is too low.

Mahdi Abdul-Kadir was speaking about a civil lawsuit that is separate from the criminal case brought against the company, whose dismissal has become a lightening rod for Iraqi resentment over the behavior of private security companies and prompted Iraqi politicians to denounce the U.S. justice system.

Abdul-Kadir said Blackwater's offer of compensation to those who had been injured or had family members killed was too low. He said he has asked the deputy speaker of Iraq's parliament to cancel the agreement that the plaintiff's lawyer Susan Burke reached Jan. 6.

...

Another plaintiff had said the company had offered $30,000 for each person wounded in the 2007 incident in Nisoor Square and $100,000 to the families of the 17 killed.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/10/international/i045204S44.DTL&type=politics

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Jeremy Scahill wrote about this and noted that Blackwater spends $2 million per month...just on legal fees.

[notadmblnd]

1. They need to spend more.... With a little luck, the Iraqi people can bankrupt this company for us.

Put the muther fuckers our of business!

[VanW]

2. Right on.

If Blackwater can beat any criminal charge, at least they can get the pants sued off them.

[Doctor_J]

3. Uh-oh. An adversary that can't be bought off

Trouble for the fascists.

[ck4829]

4. "Sorry for tearing your family to ribbons with our machine guns, here's a couple thousand dollars"