Terrorism & The Law

Terrorism, Personal Injury & Wrongful Death

Even before September 11th, terrorism was on the minds and in the hearts of most people around the world. Whether in Sudan, Pakistan, Japan, Iran, Libya or Israel, terrorism strikes at the hearts of United States citizens and military personnel around the world. Despite wins in the United States against state sponsors of terrorism, collections on awards sometimes reaching into the millions of dollars have been virtually impossible to collect, notwithstanding a 1996 amendment to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act that provides that any nation listed as a state sponsor of terrorism can be sued for damages by victims and their families. One notable exception was a case that we handled -  Carlson v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 201 F.Supp. 2d 78 (D.D.C. 2002).

Terrorism & The Law - The 1985 Hijacking of TWA Flight 847

At Barrett & Gilbert, we are best known for our work handling a lawsuit that arose out of the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Islamic terrorists that had been trained and equipped in Iran. The flight was en route from Athens to Rome when it was hijacked by Islamic terrorists. One American hostage was killed and his body was thrown out of the plane. The remaining passengers were held in various parts of Beirut. After Israel released 31 of its Shi'ite prisoners the hostages were released.  In 1996 we filed suit in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia. We represented Kurt Carlson, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, and five Navy divers who were held hostage for 17 days in Beirut in 1985. Another Navy diver, Robert Dean Stethem, was executed and his body thrown from the plane at the Beirut airport by Islamic terrorists. After a six-year legal battle, we recovered a verdict of $308 million dollars which included the largest per diem compensatory award for international airline hijacking and torture to surviving victims of international terrorism.  The compensatory damage award that was later paid through an appropriation authorized by Congress under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996 and signed by President Bush utilizing frozen assets belonging to Iran.

Lawsuits Can Deter Terrorism

At Barrett & Gilbert, we believe that lawsuits can deter terrorism getting the attention of governments that support terrorist activity.  The goals of terrorism litigation and lawsuits include compensation for the victims and punishment for those responsible for acts of terrorism. Our law firm is located in Rockford, Illinois, and we are one of a handful of law firms in the United States that handles terrorist cases and terrorism litigation.  For further information about terrorism and the law, please contact us  today for a free initial consultation. For immediate assistance call us in Rockford, Illinois at 815-332-9600.  We look forward to helping you.