Xe - Blackwater Sued for Killings of Iraqi Media Network Guards and Alleged Cover Up, According to Burke O’Neil LLC
04-01-2009
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2009 -- Three security guards for the state-owned and operated Iraqi Media Network were allegedly shot to death by Blackwater personnel who have evaded responsibility for the unprovoked killings, according to a lawsuit filed today in California federal court.
The lawsuit alleges that the guards were shot at the rear gate of the Iraqi Media Network as they tried to move along a slowing car in the King Faisal Square traffic circle at about noon on Feb. 7, 2007. The circle separates the Iraqi Media Network and Iraqi Justice Ministry, where Blackwater “shooters” were perched on the roof during a meeting involving a U.S. diplomat.
The plaintiffs are the estates, including widows and children, of Sabah Salman Hassoon, a 38-year-old married father of three; Azhar Abdullah Ali, a 33-year-old married father of three; and Nibrass Mohammed Dawood, a 25-year-old. All were residents of Baghdad.
The lawsuit names several Blackwater-related defendants – now operating as Xe and other names under the control of chairman Erik Prince – including The Prince Group, Falcon, Blackwater Armor and Targets, Greystone Limited, Total Intelligence Solutions, EP Investments, Raven Development Group, and U.S. Training Center West, of San Diego.
The families are represented by attorneys Susan L. Burke and William T. O’Neil, of Burke O’Neil LLC, of Washington, D.C. and Charlottesville, Va., and Joseph L. Oliva and Michael S. Faircloth, of Oliva & Associates ALC, of San Diego.
The lawsuit alleges that the approximately 20 Blackwater personnel who witnessed the incident refused to cooperate with Iraqi authorities and destroyed documents and other evidence related to the incident. The families later discovered from Iraqi police reports that Xe-Blackwater had been involved in the shootings, and that the shootings were described as “an act of terrorism.”
William T. O’Neil, of Burke O’Neil LLC, stated, “The staggering number of civilian deaths in Iraq caused by the Prince-controlled companies reflects the pattern and practice of recklessness in their use of deadly force. We believe the evidence will show that these companies’ mercenaries have flouted the laws of the United States and their host nation Iraq.”
Xe – Blackwater is accused of committing war crimes, assault and battery, wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, training and supervision, and tortious spoliation of evidence.
The Iraqi Media Network, which was launched with the assistance of the U.S. government, operates newspapers, radio stations and the al-Iraqiya television station.
The case is “Estate of Sabah Salman Hassoon, et al., v. Xe, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, et al.,” in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (Case No. 09CV0647 L JMA).