Victims of Attacks in Israel Lose U.S. Appeal Against Lebanese Bank

A court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by victims of Hezbollah rocket attacks in Israel who sought to hold Lebanese Canadian Bank SAL liable for financing Hezbollah through its New York account with American Express Bank.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said it lacked jurisdiction over the Lebanese bank because customary international law immunized corporations from liability from claims brought under the federal Alien Tort Statute.

It said this was true even though the bank’s alleged conduct “touched and concerned” the United States, displacing the presumption against applying the Alien Tort Statute to foreign conduct.