Terrorism financing suit one of five cases lauded for benefiting public good

DALLAS – The landmark lawsuit won by attorneys from Dallas’ Sayles Werbner and co-counsel over the financing of terrorist attacks that killed or wounded hundreds of Americans is one of five finalist cases for the Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award.

The prestigious award is presented annually by the national public interest law firm Public Justice. It recognizes the lawyers who made the greatest contribution to the public interest within the past year by trying or settling a precedent-setting, socially significant case. The Trial Lawyer of the Year Award will be announced July 24 during Public Justice’s 2016 Gala & Awards Dinner in Los Angeles.

In Linde v. Arab Bank, Sayles Werbner’s Mark S. Werbner helped hundreds of terrorism victims prevail in their claims against Jordan-based Arab Bank for its role in supporting terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Gaza between 2001 and 2004.

A New York federal jury decided in the victims’ favor after a trial in 2014, marking the first time in U.S. history that a foreign bank was found liable in civil court for providing material financial support to terrorists. The case was resolved last year under a confidential settlement only three days before a first-of-its kind damages trial was scheduled in the same New York court.

The case was filed in 2004 under the 1990 Anti-Terrorism Act. The lawsuit alleged that Arab Bank provided financial support to the families of all Palestinian terrorists who were killed, injured or incarcerated since the start of the Al-Aqsa (Second) Intifada in late 2000. The victims contended Arab Bank administered an insurance scheme that allowed terrorists’ families to collect financial payments by registering with the bank.

Sayles Werbner maintains an international reputation as a proven trial law firm in complex business litigation, intellectual property matters, life-altering personal injury cases, product safety claims and practically every type of case that requires courtroom expertise.