New York, NY (October 16, 2020) -- Thousands of plaintiffs in In Re Terrorist Attacks, the suit by the families of 9/11 victims seeking redress from countries, organizations and individuals who provided material aid to al Qaeda, are pressing for payment from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (VSST) for awards the Fund has allocated stemming from default judgments obtained against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran was first served in the litigation, which also names the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of the Sudan as defendants, in 2005.
As mandated by legislation passed in November 2019, the VSST reported to Congress in June that it had determined eligibility for awards from Iran for 10,590 9/11 plaintiffs who had received eligibility letters in May. At that point, payment to individual plaintiffs was reasonably expected to be delivered immediately thereafter. The VSST did not determine individual allocations for the plaintiffs until August 28, however - - and payment has not yet been received. Plaintiffs accordingly are reaching out to their Congressional representatives and senators asking that payment be expedited.
“Americans who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks have been pursuing justice against the sponsors and supporters of that terror for 19 years,” said Jerry S. Goldman, counsel to the lead plaintiff and thousands of other plaintiffs in In Re Terrorist Attacks and a shareholder at Anderson Kill P.C. “The judgment against Iran for its role in harboring and supporting al Qaeda operatives is a first tranche, a down payment on justice to be obtained by many abettors of al Qaeda. It’s past time for that payment to be delivered.”
Litigation against defendants mounting an active defense in In Re Terrorist Attacks continues.