Linde, et al. v. Arab Bank, PLC, 04-2799 (NG) (VVP) and Coulter, et al. v. Arab Bank, PLC, 05-365 (NG) (VVP) (E.D.N.Y.)

In July 2004, Arab Bank, Plc was sued on behalf of American terror victims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The lawsuit was the first civil lawsuit brought against Arab Bank under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The Plaintiffs sought to hold Arab Bank liable for deaths and severe injuries resulting from acts of international terrorism that Palestinian terrorist groups perpetrated between 2000 and 2004, during the Second Intifada. A team of attorneys from Kohn Swift and several other firms developed and prosecuted the case.

Kohn Swift served as Litigation Counsel for the plaintiffs, United States citizens, their estates, survivors and heirs who were victims of terrorist attacks in Israel in these two actions currently before the Honorable Nina Gershon. The claims were brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act and seeked treble damages from Arab Bank PLC, a financial institution headquartered in Jordan with a federally licensed and regulated branch office in New York City. The complaints alleged that Arab Bank maintained bank accounts and provided financial services to fronts that it knew supported terrorist activities of known terrorist organizations and acted as the administrator of a plan that provided payments to the families of Palestinian terrorists killed in attacks on persons such as plaintiffs. A motion to dismiss the complaints was denied by Judge Gershon and the litigation was ongoing.