Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic

723 F. Supp. 2d 441, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71802, 2010 WL 2802209
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJuly 16, 2010
DocketCivil 08-1367 (FAB)
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 723 F. Supp. 2d 441 (Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic, 723 F. Supp. 2d 441, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71802, 2010 WL 2802209 (prd 2010).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

Introduction

This is a civil action for wrongful death, personal injury and related torts pursuant to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (the “FSIA”), 28 U.S.C. § 1605A, arising from a terrorist machine-gun attack at Israel’s Lod Airport 1 on May 30, 1972 (the “Lod Airport Attack”).

American citizen Carmelo Calderon-Molina (“Carmelo”) was murdered in the Lod Airport Attack and American citizen Pablo Tirado-Ayala (“Pablo”) was injured in the attack. 2

*444 The plaintiffs are the family members and estates of Carmelo and Pablo. 3

Plaintiffs allege that the Lod Airport Attack was carried out as a joint operation by the Japanese Red Army (“JRA”) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (“PFLP”) terrorist organizations, with the material support of the named defendants, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (“North Korea”) and North Korea’s Cabinet General Intelligence Bureau (“CGIB”) (“defendants”). 4

Plaintiffs’ Complaint was filed on March 27, 2008. (Docket No. 1) As required by section 1608(a)-(b) of the FSIA, the Clerk initiated service of process on the defendants, which process included copies of the Complaint, summonses and a Notice of Suit, and Korean-language translations of those documents. (Docket No. 7)

Service was effected on North Korea and CGIB on July 21, 2008, pursuant to the provisions of FSIA section 1608(a)-(b). (Docket No. 8)

After the sixty-day period provided by section 1608 had passed without the defendants filing an answer or otherwise responding to this action, plaintiffs moved for entry of default against defendants pursuant to Rule 55(a). (Docket No. 8) On October 31, 2008, the Court entered default against defendants North Korea and CGIB. (Docket No. 9)

Notwithstanding defendants’ default, the FSIA requires that a default judgment against a foreign state be entered only after a plaintiff “establishes his claim or right to relief by evidence that is satisfactory to the Court.” 28 U.S.C. § 1608(e).

Thus, pursuant to section 1608(e), this Court cannot enter default judgment in this case unless it finds that the plaintiffs have shown “by evidence that is satisfactory to the Court” that the Court has jurisdiction and that the defendants are liable. See e.g. Holland v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 496 F.Supp.2d 1, 12 (D.D.C.2005) (“Every case brought against a foreign state raises two distinct and crucial legal questions. First, the Court must look to whether it has jurisdiction to hear the claim. In the context of claims implicating the parameters of the FSIA, this jurisdictional determination is guided by an inquiry into whether the case falls within one of the statutory exceptions to the sovereign immunity of a foreign state. Second, the Court must consider the actual liability of the defendant foreign sovereign.”) (citations omitted).

At the same time, pursuant to section 1608(e) “the Court may accept as true the plaintiffs’ uncontroverted evidence.” Wachsman v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 603 F.Supp.2d 148, 155 (D.D.C.2009) (internal quotations omitted) (citing Elahi v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 124 F.Supp.2d 97, 100 (D.D.C.2000)). See also Botvin v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 604 F.Supp.2d 22, 26 (D.D.C.2009) (same); Gates v. Syrian Arab Republic, 580 F.Supp.2d 53, 63 (D.D.C.2008) (same); Alejandre v. Republic of Cuba, 996 F.Supp. 1239, 1243 (S.D.Fla.1997) (same).

The “satisfactory to the court” standard contained in 28 U.S.C. § 1608(e) is identical to the standard for entry of default judgments against the United States government in Rule 55(e). Compañía Interamericana Export-Import, SA. v. Compañía Dominicana de Aviación, 88 F.3d 948, 951 (1996).

*445 For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds that plaintiffs have clearly demonstrated both the Court’s jurisdiction and the defendants’ liability for their injuries “by evidence that is satisfactory to the Court.” 28 U.S.C. § 1608(e).

Findings of Fact

This Court conducted an evidentiary hearing on December 2, 2009 and December 3, 2009, at which plaintiffs presented evidence establishing, to section 1608(e)’s satisfaction, the following facts.

On May 30,1972, American citizens Carmelo Calderon-Molina (“Carmelo”) and Pablo Tirado-Ayala (“Pablo”) arrived at Israel’s Lod Airport near Tel Aviv, as part of a large group of Puerto Rican pilgrims touring Israel and visiting the Christian religious sites in the Holy Land. For many of the participants on this church-organized trip, this was to be the experience of a lifetime, and one for which they had saved up money to finance for many years.

Three members of the JRA, disguised as regular passengers, who had just disembarked at Lod Airport on a flight arriving from Italy, recovered their luggage from the baggage carousel. They then removed automatic weapons and grenades from their luggage and began shooting and throwing explosives indiscriminately into the crowd of innocent civilians which included Carmelo, Pablo and other passengers 5 located in the terminal building.

At the time of the Lod Airport Attack in 1972, there were no armed Israeli security personnel stationed inside Lod Airport, 6 and therefore the JRA terrorists encountered no organized resistance. At some point during the Lod Airport Attack, however, two of the terrorists were felled by self-inflicted wounds (one from a ricocheting bullet and the other by a prematurely-detonated grenade), at which time the third terrorist raced outside of the terminal building with the intention of blowing up several aircraft located on the tarmac. (Exhibit No. 2, ¶ 24)

This third terrorist, Kozo Okamoto (“Kozo”), was eventually neutralized by Claude Chanan Zeitoun (“Zeitoun”), a Lod airport employee who, though unarmed, chased down Kozo near the runway, knocked away his automatic rifle, and restrained him until the police arrived. (Exhibit No. 2, ¶¶ 12-18)

When the slaughter ceased, 26 innocent persons had been murdered and over 80 persons had been wounded by the JRA terrorists. (Trial Transcript, Dec. 2, 2009, p. 27, In. 18 and 23) Seventeen of the murdered victims were Puerto Rican pilgrims. Carmelo was killed in the Lod Airport Attack; his last act before dying was to shield a pregnant woman with his body, absorbing bullets that otherwise would likely have killed her and her unborn child.

Related

Susan Weinstein v. Islamic Republic of Iran
831 F.3d 470 (D.C. Circuit, 2016)
Kim v. Democratic People's Republic of Korea
87 F. Supp. 3d 286 (District of Columbia, 2015)
Calderon-Cardona v. Bank of New York Mellon
770 F.3d 993 (Second Circuit, 2014)
Kaplan v. Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran
55 F. Supp. 3d 189 (District of Columbia, 2014)
Calderon-Cardona v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
867 F. Supp. 2d 389 (S.D. New York, 2011)
Wamai v. Republic of Sudan
District of Columbia, 2011
Owens v. Republic of Sudan
826 F. Supp. 2d 128 (District of Columbia, 2011)
Estate of John Doe v. Islamic Republic of Iran
808 F. Supp. 2d 1 (District of Columbia, 2011)
Estate of Heiser v. Islamic Republic of Iran
807 F. Supp. 2d 9 (District of Columbia, 2011)

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