On Tuesday, in the case of Sokolow V. PLO, presiding judge, Judge George Daniels, determined that the trial will move forward as planned.
Last week, the defendants filed a very rare appeal to the Second Circuit of court trying to squash the case. But, apparently, the Southern District Court judge decided not to wait for the federal court’s decision.
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The lawsuit seeks $1 billion on behalf of 11 families who allege the PLO and Palestinian Authority incited, supported, orchestrated, executed, and then ratified seven acts of terror in Israel which injured and/or killed American citizens between the years 2000 and 2004.
Jury selection for the case begins January 7, and the trial is set to begin January 12.
This will be the first time the Palestinian Authority and the PLO will be put on trial.
“Eleven courageous American families are emphatically standing up to terrorism. We are very pleased that the Court has yet again rejected the defendants’ incessant efforts to delay their day of reckoning, ” said Kent Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter who represent the plaintiffs. “The evidence is very strong, and we are looking forward to presenting it to the jury at trial beginning January 12. After so many delays by the defendants, we look forward to finally presenting our case.”
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Director of Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, who is working on the case, told Jewish Business News, “For over a decade the defendants have tried every tactic in the book to obstruct and avoid their inevitable date with a New York jury, which will finally hear the shocking evidence of their involvement in the terror attacks that left so many Americans dead or wounded. We are glad the judge determined the trial will move forward so those who lost their children in the Hebrew University cafeteria bombing and other PLO terrorist attacks can finally have their day in court.”
Darshan-Leitner told JBN the plaintiffs arrived at the $1 billion figure based on precedence law, essentially piecing together the damages of all the close relatives of the victims of PLO and PA terrorism. “It came to just under $1 billion, ” she said.
