Court Reinstates $656M Judgment Against Palestinian Groups

0:00It's April 5th. This is Durham News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. A federal appeals court just reinstated a $656 million judgment against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization. This comes after Americans were killed or wounded in terror attacks in Israel. The second Circuit Court of Appeals made the call, siding with victims who sued over a decade ago. Back in the day, that same court tossed the original verdict, saying US judges couldn't touch cases against foreign groups for attacks abroad, not aimed at America. But everything changed with the Supreme Court ruling last June. It backed a 2019 law from Congress that greenlit these lawsuits against the Palestinian groups. Victims and families fouled under the 1992 anti-terrorism act, claiming Palestinian agents took part in the attacks or stirred them up. The Palestinians have pushed back hard, arguing American courts have no business here. Still, the law opened the door for justice.

1:02The judges' decision dropped on March 30th, saying it lines up perfectly with what the Supreme Court laid down, no need for a whole new trial. Attorneys for the families called it a huge relief after 22 years of grinding litigation. Now families can finally chase that payout, marking a major win in a long battle over accountability for those attacks.