DALLAS – Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Jesner, et al., v. Arab Bank PLC to determine whether corporations can be held liable under the Alien Tort Statute,  a law passed by the First Congress in 1789. The case stems from the charge that Arab Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, used its New York branch to facilitate payments to Hamas and other terrorist organizations during a wave of attacks during the Second Intifada.

Victims of the attacks brought suit against Arab Bank charging that it had “knowingly and intentionally” engaged in terrorist financing. The ATS allows federal courts to hear cases when actions have been “committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States.” In 2014, Sayles Werbner led a team of attorneys in Linde, et al. v. Arab Bank PLC. Together, they represented U.S. citizens who were injured or killed as a result of 24 terrorist attacks in Israel and the Palestinian Territories from 2001 to 2004. In that case, a jury found that Arab Bank facilitated millions of dollars in payments to Hamas leaders and Hamas front organizations.   

Sayles Werbner maintains an international reputation as a proven trial law firm in complex business litigation, life-altering personal injury cases, and cases that requires courtroom expertise.