Complaint Nevies, Agnes Parsons John Parsons, John W
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Lee S. Shalov (LS7118) James P. Bonner (JB0629) Shalov Stone & Bonner LLP 485 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1000 New York, New York 10018 (212) 239-4340 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x PHILIP LITLE, PHILIP LITLE FOR THE ESTATE OF ABIGAIL LITLE: ELISHUA LITLE, HANNAH LITLE, HEIDI LITLE, JOSIAH LITLE, : NOAH LITLE, NATAN APPLEBAUM FOR THE ESTATE OF : DAVID APPLEBAUM, DEBRA APPLEBAUM, THE ESTATE OF : JACQUELINE APPLEBAUM, NATAN APPLEBAUM, NATAN : APPLEBAUM FOR THE ESTATE OF NAAVA APPLEBAUM, SHIRA : APPLEBAUM, YITZCHAK APPLEBAUM, SHAYNA APPLEBAUM : TOVI BELLE APPLEBAUM, GEELA APPLEBAUM GORDON, : BILLY BAXTER, CATHERINE BAXTER, FRAN STRAUSS BAXTER : JACK BAXTER, CHAYA TZIPORAH COHEN, NETANEL FENICHEL : Case No.: CV 04-5449 DEBORAH FENICHEL, ILANIT FENICHEL, MOSHE FENICHEL, : (NG)(ASC) THE ESTATE OF MOSHE GOTTLIEB, FAYE CHANA : BENJAMINSON, SEYMOUR GOTTLIEB, SHEILA GOTTLIEB, THE : ESTATE OF JOHN LINDE, JR., COURTNEY LINDE, THE ESTATE : FIRST AMENDED OF FORUK NAIMI, MOSHE NAIMI, REBECCA NEVIES, NAPHTAL : COMPLAINT NEVIES, AGNES PARSONS JOHN PARSONS, JOHN W. PARSONS : THE ESTATE OF MARK PARSONS, MATTHEW PARSONS : BARBARA PSAROUDIS, MARY LAZIN, ARIELA FREIRMARK : MENACHEM FREIRMARK, HADASSAH FREIRMARK CATHERINE : TYOKODY, BATSHEVA HOROVITZ, DAVID HOROVITZ, BERNICE: WOLF FOR THE ESTATE OF DEBRA RUTH HOROVITZ, BERNICE : WOLF FOR THE ESTATE OF ELI NATAN HOROVITZ, LEAH : HOROVITZ, MOSHE HOROVITZ, NECHAMA HOROVITZ : SHULAMITE HOROVITZ, TOVI HOROVITZ, TVI HOROVITZ, URI : HOROVITZ, BERNICE WOLF, BRIAN WOLF, STANLEY WOLF : DOV KLIEMAN, THE ESTATE OF ESTHER KLIEMAN BY AARON : KESNER, GAVRIEL KLIEMAN, NACHMAN KLIEMAN, RUANNE : KLIEMAN, YOSEF KLIEMAN, DEBORAH MARGALIT, NATAN : MARGALIT, EVYATAR MARGALIT, PHYLLIS PAM, RIVKA : REENA PAM, ERIK SCHECTER, RACHEL POTOLSKI OVADIA : TOPPOROWITCH, TEHILA, TOPPOROWITCH, YISRAEL : TOPPOROWITCH, YITZCHAK TOPPOROWITCH, MIRIAM : EHRENFELD, JOSEPH ROSE, NICHA OSTREICHER, DEVORA : POLLACK, BENJAMIN REINITZ, CHAIM REINITZ, CHAYA : REINITZ, JOSEPH REINITZ, LEIBEL REINITZ, MALVIA REINITZ : MARGALI REINITZ, MENDY REINITZ, MIRIAM REINITZ, RIVKA : REINITZ, SAMUEL REINITZ, SHMUEL REINITZ, YAKOV REINITZ : THE ESTATE OF YISSOCHER DOV REINITZ, YITZCHOK REINITZ : RAIZEL SHIMON LEAH TAUBER , HELEN WEIDER, AVROHOM D. : RICHTER, BREINA RICHTER, MIRIAM LEAH RICHTER, MOSHE : RICHTER, NECHAMA RICHTER, SARA MALKA RICHTER : SHLOMO CHAIM RICHTER, TRANNE RICHTER,YAKOV YOSEF : RICHTER, YECHIEL RICHTER, YEHUDIS RICHTER, YISROEL : RICHTER, YITZCHOK RICHTER, MIRIAM BLUM, PERL : BRAILOFSKY, YOSEF BRAILOFSKY, MALKY BREUER, ESTER : BUXMAUM, GITTEL COHEN, CHAYA FREISEL, RACHEL ROSNER: ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ, JACOB SCHWARTZ , MAX SCHWARTZ,: MICHAEL SCHWARTZ, PHILLIP SCHWARTZ, SHLOMO TRATNER: THE ESTATE OF TIFERET TRATNER, ABRAHAM ZARKOWSKY, : ARON ZARKOWSKY, BSHAVA ZARKOWSKY, MENDEL : ZARKOWSKY FOR THE ESTATE OF ELI ZARKOWSKY, EZRIEL : ZARKOWSKY, GITTEL ZARKOWSKY, MENDEL ZARKOWSKY : FOR THE ESTATE OF GOLDIE ZARKOWSKY, JOSEPH : ZARKOWSKY, MENDEL ZARKOWSKY, MIRIAM ZARKOWSKY : SHRAGE ZARKOWSKY, TRANY ZARKOWSKY, YEHUDA : ZARKOWSKY : : Plaintiffs, : : -against- : : ARAB BANK, PLC, : Defendant. : : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x Plaintiffs Philip Litle, Philip Litle for the Estate of Abigail Litle, Elishua Litle, Hannah Litle, Heidi Litle, Josiah Litle, Noah Litle (“Litle Plaintiffs”); Natan Applebaum for the Estate of David Applebaum, Debra Applebaum, The Estate of Jacqueline Applebaum, Natan Applebaum, Natan Applebaum for the Estate of Naava Applebaum, Shira Applebaum, Yitzchak Applebaum, Shayna Applebaum, Tovi Belle Applebaum, Geela Applebaum Gordon (“Applebaum Plaintiffs”); Billy Baxter, Catherine Baxter, Fran Strauss Baxter, Jack Baxter (“Baxter Plaintiffs”); Chaya Tziporah Cohen (“Cohen Family”); Deborah Fenichel, Ilanit Fenichel, Netanel Fenichel, Moshe Fenichel (“Fenichel Family”); Faye Chana Benjaminson, The Estate of Moshe Gottlieb, Seymour Gottlieb, 2 Sheila Gottlieb (“Gottlieb Family”); The Estate of John Linde, Jr., Courtney Linde (“Linde Family”); The Estate of Foruk Naimi, Moshe Naimi (“Naimi Family”); Naphtali Nevies, Rebecca Nevies (“Nevies Family”); Barbara Psaroudis, Mary Lazin, Agnes Parsons, John Parsons, John W. Parsons, The Estate of Mark Parsons, Matthew Parsons, Catherine Tyokody (“Parsons Plaintiffs”); Ariela Freirmark, Menachem Freirmark, Hadassah Freirmark, (“Freirmark Plaintiffs”); Ari Horovitz, Batsheva Horovitz, David Horovitz, Bernice Wolf for the Estate of Debra Ruth Horovitz, Bernice Wolf for the Estate of Eli Natan Horovitz, Leah Horovitz, Moshe Horovitz, Nechama Horovitz, Shulamite Horovitz, Tovi Horovitz, Tvi Horovitz, Uri Horovitz, Bernice Wolf, Brian Wolf, Stanley Wolf (“Horovitz Plaintiffs”); Dov Klieman, The Estate of Esther Klieman by its Administrator Aaron Kesner, Gavriel Klieman, Nachman Klieman, Ruanne Klieman, Yosef Klieman (“Klieman Plaintiffs”); Deborah Margalit, Natan Margalit, Evyatar Margalit (“Margalit Plaintiffs”); Phyllis Pam, Rivka Reena Pam (“Pam Plaintiffs”); Rachel Potolski, Ovadia Topporowitch, Tehila Topporowitch, Yisrael Topporowitch, Yitzchak Topporowitch (“Nathenson Plaintiffs”); Miriam Ehrenfeld, Joseph Rose, Leibel Reinitz, Malvia Reinitz, Margali Reinitz, Mendy Reinitz, Miriam Reinitz, Rivka Reinitz, Samuel Reinitz, Shmuel Reinitz, Yakov Reinitz, The Estate of Yissocher Dov Reinitz, Yitzchok Reinitz, Raizel Shimon Leah Tauber, Helen Weider (“Reinitz Plaintiffs”); Avrohom D. Richter, Breina Richter, Miriam Leah Richter, Moshe Richter, Nechama Richter, Sara Malka Richter, Shlomo Chaim Richter, Tranne Richter, Yakov Yosef Richter, Yechiel Richter, Yehudis Richter, Yisroel Richter, Yitzchok Richter (“Richter Plaintiffs”); Erik Schecter (“Schecter Family”); Shlomo Tratner, The Estate of Tiferet Tratner (“Tratner Plaintiffs”); Miriam Blum, Perl Brailofsky, Yosef Brailofsky, Malky Breuer, Ester Buxbaum, Gittel Cohen, Chaya Freisel, Rachel Rosner, Elizabeth Schwartz, Jacob Schwartz, Max Schwartz, Michael Schwartz, Phillip Schwartz, Abraham Zarkowsky, Aron Zarkowsky, Bshava Zarkowsky, Mendel Zarkowsky for the Estate of Eli Zarkowsky, Ezriel 3 Zarkowsky, Gittel Zarkowsky, Mendel Zarkowsky for the Estate of Goldie Zarkowsky, Joseph Zarkowsky, Mendel Zarkowsky, Miriam Zarkowsky, Shrage Zarkowsky, Trany Zarkowsky, Yehuda Zarkowsky (“Zarkowsky Plaintiffs”) and each of them, by their attorneys, allege the following upon information and belief: NATURE OF THE ACTION 1. This is a complaint for damages arising out of the conduct of the Arab Bank, PLC (“Arab Bank”) – a Jordanian bank headquartered in Amman, Jordan with a federally licensed and regulated branch office in the State of New York – pursuant to which it has heretofore and is continuing to knowingly and willfully provide, distribute, and administer the distribution of financial benefits, money and financial services as rewards and incentives to (a) terrorists who have killed, injured and maimed civilians, or attempted to do so, (b) the families and beneficiaries of such terrorists, and (c) Foreign Terrorist Organizations (as that term is defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1189 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”) as part of a scheme, plan and design to encourage, aid, assist, incentivize and facilitate acts of international terrorism as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 2331. By these acts, defendant Arab Bank has aided and abetted and conspired to commit said acts of international terrorism, resulting in the killing, attempted killing and maiming of scores of American citizens in Israel since September 2000, and has violated the prohibitions on providing material support for acts of international terrorism set forth in the Anti-Terrorism Act (“ATA”) as amended by the AEDPA (see e.g., 18 U.S.C. §§ 2339A, 2339B and 2339C) and is civilly liable under § 2333 of the ATA to those American citizens (and their estates, survivors and heirs) who have been killed or injured in their person, property or business by reason of such acts of international terrorism. Plaintiffs are all American citizens or family members of American citizens who have been injured, 4 maimed, harmed or killed by reason of the wrongful conduct of Defendant Arab Bank and its corporate affiliates acting in concert with one another, all to the damage of the Plaintiffs. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 2. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(2), and 18 U.S.C. §§ 2333 and 2334, as a civil action brought by citizens of the United States, their estates, survivors, and heirs who have been killed or injured by reason of acts of international terrorism. This Court also has subject matter jurisdiction over this action based on diversity of citizenship pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(2). The matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $75,000, exclusive of interest and costs. This Court also has supplemental jurisdiction over this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. 3. Venue is proper in this district pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2334(a) and 28 U.S.C. § 1391(d). Additionally, several Plaintiffs reside in this District as alleged below. 4. Arab Bank is subject to personal jurisdiction in the State of New York pursuant to N.Y. CLPR § 301 because, among other things, it continuously and systematically does business in the State of New York. Arab Bank also is subject to personal jurisdiction in the State of New York pursuant to N.Y. CPLR § 302 because,