Sotomayor refuses to block $655 million terror judgment vs PA

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday declined to block a $655.5 million judgement against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Oganization in a U.S. civil case tied to terrorist attacks that killed and wounded Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004, Reuters reported.

Sotomayor denied the request without explanation, leaving in place the March ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that revived the case after it had previously been dismissed. The plaintiffs had won the damages award in federal court in New York in 2015.

The P.A. and P.L.O. had asked Sotomayor to pause the payment while they appealed the 2nd Circuit’s March decision to revive the case. They argued that enforcing the award would cause severe financial harm and disrupt government services in Judea and Samaria, including security, sanitation and schools.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers are expected to seek payment from indirect Palestinian tax revenue collected by Israel, a key source of funding for Palestinian government operations.

The case stems from shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area from 2002 to 2004, and the Supreme Court last year upheld the federal law that allowed such claims to proceed.

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