Anti-Terror Litigation – United States

We are besieged, our lives are threatened, and the danger of our
destruction has not yet passed.
 Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, “Out of the Depths” (p. 247)



Background

Terror attacks target innocent civilians going about their everyday activities – visiting a holy site, attending a celebration, riding a bus to work, having lunch at a pizza parlor.

One example, as told by Rabbi Lau (ibid, pp. 266-267):

In July 2001, almost one year after the Second Intifada began, at two in the afternoon, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded pizza restaurant, Sbarro, in the heart of Jerusalem. Fifteen people were killed, and about one hundred injured.  At nine that evening, the phone rang in my home in Tel Aviv, and the voice of a young woman, choked with tears, spoke on the other end of the line: “I’m calling from Bikur Cholim Hospital in Jerusalem. Do you remember Tzira Schijveschuurder? This is her sister speaking. Tzira was killed today at the Sbarro restaurant. Her husband, Moti, was also killed. It’s summer vacation, so they took a day off and went to Jerusalem with the kids. They went into Sbarro to have pizza for lunch. Three of the five children with them in the restaurant were killed: Ra’aya, Avraham Yitzhak, and Hemda. The youngest was two years old, the oldest fourteen. The three older boys were saved. Two were in the army, and the third was not with the family. The two little girls that survived, Leah-le and Chaya-le, are wounded and hospitalized.”

A comprehensive list of terror attacks in Israel from 1993 to the present is maintained at the Jewish Virtual Library. The lawsuits in the tables below account for only a small portion of those attacks, the families and victims who brought those lawsuits having sought some measure of justice.

This database of lawsuits and litigation documents should be seen not just as a dry listing of cases, but as a memorial to those individuals who were murdered or maimed by acts of  hatred. The lawsuits were typically brought by family members of the terror victims, or the victims themselves. The documents record not only the legalities of each case, but contain the stories of the terror attacks.


Private Litigation Involving Attacks Against American Citizens in Israel

I. Lawsuits stemming from the October 7, 2023 Massacre by Hamas

The invasion and attack by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Gaza into southern Israel on October 7, 1983, was a premeditated, and coordinated massacre in which terrorists murdered 1,200 people and injured nearly 5,000 more in the deadliest killing of Jews since the Holocaust.

The table lists cases brought in the United States under its anti-terror laws, seeking damages for the death, injury, and suffering caused by the events of October 7. In addition to the claims detailed in these lawsuits, there has been substantial additional documentation of the massacre. For Information on the Gaza war that has followed see our page on the war.

Lead Defendant/PlaintiffDescriptionStatusDocuments
AJP Educational
Foundation, Inc.
Parizer, MayaPending
Al Jazeera Media Network
Schnaider, Maurice IIPending
American Muslims for
Palestine
Schnaider, Maurice IPending
The Associated Press
Newman, NoachDismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Binance Holdings
Limited
Pending
Raanan, Judith
Antony Blinken
Halley, EthanDismissed - Lack
of Jurisdiction
Islamic Republic of Iran
Arnin, Ayelet IPending
Duvdevani, GioraPending
Mark, PdayaPending
Neta, AdriennePending
Sasi, AvrahamPending
Weiser, YisraelPending
Democratic People's
Republic of Korea
Arnin, Ayelet IIPending
Nerdeen Kiswani
Haggai, IrisPending
Bashar Masri
Shalom, TomPending
Syrian Arab Republic
Arnin, Ayelet IIIPending
UNRWA
Atzili, LiatPending
Sha’arabany, SivanPending
Siman Tov, TamarDismissed - Lack
of Jurisdiction
UNRWA USA National
Committee, Inc.
Lavi, LishayPending

II. Lawsuits against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

In these cases, the primary defendants are the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). For the most part, the plaintiffs have been stymied on jurisdictional grounds, though at least two were settled for undisclosed sums.  The U.S. Congress passed legislation in an effort to ameliorate the jurisdictional situation, but it is not yet finally settled how the courts will treat that legislation.

Significantly, in one of the cases against the PA – Sokolowthere was a full jury trial on the merits, the jury finding the PA and PLO responsible and awarding $218,000,000 in damages, trebled by the District Court.  After years of appellate litigation the Supreme Court has ruled that American victims of terror can sue the PA and the PLO in U.S. courts.

Lead PlaintiffDescriptionStatusType of IncidentDocuments
Biton, AvigailWithdrawnBus Bombing
Fuld, MiriamPending After
Remand
Stabbing at a Mall
Gilmore, ReuvenSummary Judgment
Dismissed
Shooting at Office Building
Jerusalem
Klieman, EstherPending After
Remand
Shooting Attack - Bus
Knox, LeslyeSettled After DefaultShooting Attack
Banquet Hall
Levine, ShelleyPendingShooting and Stabbing
Synagogue
Livnat, RivkaDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Machine-Gun Attack at
Holy Site
Parsons, MarkVoluntary DismissalRoadside Remote Bomb
Safra, YitzhakDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Machine-Gun Attack at
Holy Site
Saperstein, MosheDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Shooting Attack
Roadside
Shatsky, Shabtai IDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Suicide Bomber - Pizzeria
Shatsky, Shabtai IIDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction - Appealed
Suicide Bomber - Pizzeria
Sokolow, MarkPendingSuicide Bombings
Shooting Attacks
Ungar, Yaron ISettled After Default Shooting Attack
Roadside

III. Lawsuits against Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan

These cases have been brought against countries which have aided and supported terror attacks in Israel – Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan. Countries are generally immune from being sued in the courts of the United States under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. However, the law carves out an exception where terrorist attacks are involved. In these lawsuits the governments sued failed to appear in the proceedings. Thus, there have typically been default judgments and default awards granted after a fact-finding inquiry convinced the court that the defendants were implicated in the terror crimes.

As for the multitude of litigation and complex efforts that have been pursued to collect on those default judgments, those efforts are beyond the scope of this database.

Lead Defendant/PlaintiffDescriptionStatusType of IncidentDocuments
Iran
Baxter, William Jack IDefault
$1,988,831,421
Several (10)
Beer, Harry IIPunitive Damages
$300,000,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Beer, Harry IDefault
$13,000,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Baxter, William Jack IIDefault - Award
Included in Baxter I
Several (10)
Belkin, LawrenceDefault
$18,525,763
Suicide Bombing
Shopping Mall
Ben Haim, SethDefault
$16,000,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Bennett, MichaelDefault
$12,904,548
Bombing - University
Cafeteria
Bluth, NethanialDefault
$43,500,000
Shooting and Grenade
Attack - Classroom
Bodoff, Jeffrey IDefault
$316,988,300
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Bodoff, Jeffrey IIDefault
$316,988,300
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Borochov, EliPartial Dismissal
Default $55,000,000
Several (3)
Botvin, YaelPartial Default
$1,704,457
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Braun, ShmuelDefault
$178,500,000
Car Ramming
Train Station
Campuzano, DianaDefault
$153,463,608
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Cohen, IlanaDefault
$10,050,000
Shooting Attack - Bus
Cohen, OraDefault
$208.950,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Eisenfeld, LeonardDefault
$327.161,002
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Felber, NathanielDefault
$168,000,000
Shooting Attack
Flatow, StevenDefault
$247,513,220
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Force, Stuart IDefault
$514,211,409
Several (7)
Fraenkel, AbrahamDefault
$60,500,000
Kidnapping and Murder
Gill, Mati IDefault
$30,000,000
Shooting Attack
Goldberg-Botvin, JulieDefault
$40,890,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Goldstein, ShalomDefault
$13,062,500
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Greenbaum, StevenDefault
$19,879,023
Suicide Bombing
Pizzeria
Henkin IDefault
$90,000,000
Shooting Attack
Henkin IIDefault
$231,097,560
Shooting Attack
Hirshfeld, Yonadav IDefault
$191,950,000
Shooting Attack
Jakubowicz, AkivaDefault
$50,321,250
Several (5)
Kirschenbaum, Jason IDefault
$13,750,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Kirschenbaum, Jason IIPunitive Damages
$300,000,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Mark, Chava IDefault
$141,250,000
Machine-Gun Attack
Roth, Arnold IDefault
$131,191,019
Suicide Bombing
Pizzeria
Rubin, Jenny IDefault
$259,000,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Salzman, StanDefault
$17,500,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Schwartz, RuthDefault
$118,722,960
Machine-Gun Attack
Shoham, BatshevaDismissed -
Insufficient Evidence
Stoning Attack
Singer, SarriDefault
$22,500,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Sisso, AvrahamDefault
$20,000,000
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Steinberg, MaxDefault
$165,934,000
Rocket-propelled
Grenades
Stern, ShaulDefault
$313,000,000
Bombing
Open Air Food Market
Tratner, BaruchDefault
$76,773,057
Mortar Attack
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Wachsman, EstherDefault
$46,709,931
Kidnapping and Murder
Weinstein, SusanDefault
$206,248,164
Suicide Bombing - Bus
Weinstock, Sharon IDefault
$78,873,000
Shooting Attack
Wultz, SherylDefault
$332,068,634
Suicide Bombing
Restaurant
Syria
Ben-Yishai, YitzhakDefault
$111,547,340
M16 Rifle Attack
Leibovitch, ShlomoDefault
$67,000,000
Machine-Gun Attack
Lelchook, Ester IDefault
$20,535,665
Rocket Attack
Roth, Arnold IIDefault
$74,764,076
Suicide Bombing
Pizzeria
Shatsky, Shabtai IIIPending - in Default
North Korea
Calderón-Cardona, RuthDefault
$378,000,000
Shooting and Grenade
Attack - Airport
Kaplan, ChaimDefault
$169,439,132
Multiple Rocket
Attacks
Sudan
Force, Stuart IIDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Several (11)
Hirshfeld, Yonadav IIPendingShooting Attack
Mark, Chava IIDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Machine-Gun Attack
Steinberg, StuartDismissed - Lack of
Jurisdiction
Multiple
Weinstock, Sharon IIDismissed - Failure to
State a Claim
Shooting Attack

IV. Lawsuits against Banks, “Charities”, and Others

Lead Defendant/PlaintiffDescriptionStatusIncidentDocuments
American Express Bank, Ltd
Licci, Yaakov
American Muslims
for Palestine
Boim, Stanley IIPendingShooting Attack
Bus Stop
Arab Bank
Afriat-Kurtzer, Gila
Almog, Oran
Bennett, Michael
Coulter, Robert, Sr.
Gill, Mati IIDismissedShooting Attack
Goldstein, Sholom
Jesner, Joseph
Linde, CourtneyConfidential
Settlement
Attacks During
2nd Intifada
Litle, Phillip
Miller, Aharon
Pam, Nathan
Roth, Arnold
Weiss, Steward
Bank of Palestine
Singer, SarriPendingSeveral (12)
Bank Saderat
Henkin IIIPendingShooting Attack
Kumer, MalkaMultiple Rocket
Attacks
Lelchook, Ester II
BLOM Bank SAL
Honickman, MichalDismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Several (12)
BNP Paribas, S.A.
Moses, Naftali
Cairo Amman Bank
Averbach, Julie
Central Bank of Iran
Kaplan, Chaim
Lelchook, Ester III
Commerzbank
Lelchook, Alexander
Credit Lyonnais
Strauss, Moses
Wolf, Bernice
Education for a Just Peace
in the Middle East
Keren Kayameth
LeIsrael
Dismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Support of Terror
Facebook
Cohen, RacheliDismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Force, StuartDismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Fransabank Sal
Tamam, ZivieDismissed -
Lack of Jurisdiction
Multiple Rocket
Attacks
Hamas
Rubin, Jenny IIDefault
$214,500,000
Suicide Bombing
Pedestrian Mall
Hezbollah
Kaplan, ChaimDefault
$111,485,900
Multiple Rocket
Attacks
Kumer, MalkaMultiple Rocket
Attacks
Kuveyt Turk Katilimi Bankas
Henkin IVPendingShooting Attack
Lebanese Canadian Bank
Kaplan, Chaim
Lelchook, Ester IV
Licci, Yaakov
Mousa Abu Marzouk
Weinstock, Sharon IIIDefault
$78,873,000
Shooting Attack
National Westminster Bank
Applebaum, David
Weiss, Tzvi
Palestine Investment Bank
Spetner, TemimaPendingMaterial Support
for Terrorists
Qatar Charity &
Qatar National Bank
Force, Stuart IIDismissed - Lack
of Jurisdiction
Henkin, AnnePendingShooting and
Stabbing Attacks
Przewozman, ChaimDismissed - Lack
of Jurisdiction
Material Support
for Hamas
Steinberg, StuartVoluntary DismissalAmbush by Hamas
in Gaza
Quranic Literacy Institute
Boim, Stanley IJury Trial
$156,000,000
Shooting Attack
Bus Stop
Societe Generale de Banque
Lelchook, Ester V
UBS AG
Goldberg, KarenSettled
Rothstein, RachelDismissed - Failure
to State a Claim
Several (6)

U.S. Domestic Civil Cases & Criminal Terror Prosecutions

Terrorist criminal prosecutions and domestic civil cases in the U.S. typically do not have a connection to Israel. However, the extent of these cases demonstrates the pervasiveness of the problem.  The Investigative Project on Terrorism maintains an extensive database of terrorism prosecutions and civil cases in the U.S., including documents from those cases.