PRESS RELEASE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB WASHINGTON, DC FEBRUARY 19, 2002 1:00 p.m.   Washington, D.C - February 19, 2002 - This morning at approximately 10:00 a.m. in Federal Court in Washington, DC, seven families of victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center filed a Class Action lawsuit on behalf of all those killed during the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Fiona Havlish, Russa Steiner, Clara Chirchirillo, Tara Bane, Ellen Saracini and Theresann Lostrangio all lost their husbands during the attack. Grace M. Parkinson-Godshalk lost her son. In their lawsuit, they have asked the Court to assess damages against the terrorists who murdered their loved ones, and against all those who supported or aided the terrorists' activities. The plaintiffs have asked the Court to award an amount of damages sufficient to ensure that the terrorists are never again able to commit such acts. Specifically named as the defendants primarily responsible for the attacks are Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Muhammad Omar and the nineteen deceased hijackers. The lawsuit also names the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran as conspirators that provided material support to the terrorists. The 93-page Complaint also names Zacarias Moussaoui as a defendant. Moussaoui is a terrorist currently under indictment for conspiracy to commit the September 11 attacks whose trial is scheduled to begin this October in Federal Court in Virginia. In addition, the Complaint names as defendants 141 institutions, individuals, organizations and businesses who have been identified by the United States Department of Treasury and the State Department as sponsoring or financing terrorist activity. The Complaint seeks a judgment against the terrorists in excess of one billion dollars for compensatory damages. Additionally, the Complaint calls for punitive damages in excess of one hundred billion dollars. The Plaintiffs' objective in seeking these damages is to bankrupt the terrorists and their supporters, thereby depriving them of the means to commit future acts of terror. Attorneys for the seven named Plaintiffs and other class members will attempt to notify all defendants by personally serving legal papers where possible. However, as a practical matter, it will be impossible to locate many of the defendants. For those defendants who cannot be located, the Plaintiffs intend to ask the Court to allow notice to be served through publication. If approved, the announcement of the lawsuit may be broadcast throughout the Middle East through media outlets such as Al-Jazera, the principle Arabic television and radio network. In a further attempt to give proper notice to all defendants, notification of the lawsuit may also take place in newspapers throughout the Middle East and throughout the world. The Class Action Complaint references recent statements by President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld noting the "axis of evil" and the complicity of Iraq and Iran in international terrorism. It is currently believed that a total of 3,062 have perished as a result of the September 11 attack, including 2,838 at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 persons in Pennsylvania. The named Class representatives, Fiona Havlish, Clara Chirchirillo, Russa Steiner, Tara Bane, Grace Parkinson-Godshalk, Ellen Saracini and Theresann Lostrangio will be making statements regarding their reasons for bringing the lawsuit at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. For information about this suit, please contact John A. Corr, Esquire at the Law Offices of Mellon, Webster & Shelly. Telephone, 215-348-7700; Fax, 215-348-0171; Email, JCorr@MellonWebster.com.         Return to Home Page | Site Design by Ravine Design & Advertising