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NY Judge Rules in Favor of 1970s Apartheid Victims

More news stories on South Africa

Larry Neumeister, AP, April 8, 2009

Apartheid victims who accused automakers and IBM of helping the government of South Africa engage in violent repression to enforce racial segregation in the 1970s and ’80s can go to trial with their claims, a judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin rejected assertions by several countries that the lawsuits should not proceed because that might harm relations between the United States and South Africa.

The written decision was related to lawsuits filed about seven years ago on behalf of victims of apartheid. The lawsuits once targeted many more U.S. corporations, including oil companies and banking institutions, but the number of defendants was decreased after the lawsuits were tossed out by one judge and an appeals court that reinstated them said allegations needed more specifics.

After Scheindlin dismissed several more companies as defendants Wednesday, the plaintiffs were left to press their claims against IBM Corp., German automaker Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Rheinmetall Group AG, the Swiss parent of an armaments maker.

The plaintiffs, at least thousands of people seeking unspecified damages, allege the automakers supplied military vehicles that let securities forces suppress black South Africans. IBM is accused of providing equipment used to track dissidents.

{snip}

South African officials had said the efforts to compensate victims should be pursued within South Africa’s political and legal processes.

Defense lawyers have said corporations shouldn’t be penalized because they were encouraged to do business in South Africa during apartheid. Lawyers for the companies didn’t immediately return telephone messages Wednesday.

Plaintiffs attorney Michael D. Hausfeld praised the ruling, saying it will allow his clients to begin obtaining evidence from the companies that will show what they did in relation to South Africa during apartheid.

{snip}

Hausfeld said that besides South Africa and the United States, countries including Germany, Switzerland and England had opposed letting the litigation proceed.

{snip}

Original article

(Posted on April 9, 2009)

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Comments

1 — ben tillman wrote at 5:48 PM on April 9:

What about the statute of limitations?????

2 — SKIP wrote at 6:25 PM on April 9:

The plaintiffs, at least thousands of people seeking unspecified damages

Are these “plaintiffs” the usual blacks looking to enter and win the Ghetto Lottery?

3 — Webspin wrote at 7:14 PM on April 9:

I hope this works for whites as well! I’d like to sue for blatant discrimination against white males.

In the early 1980’s I was refused employment as a skilled trades technician even though I passed their tests with a perfect score. The GM exec told me that all non-whites and/or women received an automatic 30% bonus. Minorities on the cusp of a D+ were given priority over those with perfect scores. Myself and 100’s of thousands of other white males paid the price of elitist guilt visa vi affirmative action programs at all the major employers.

4 — Anonymous wrote at 8:25 PM on April 9:

This is exactly why prior generations did not allow certain groups to emigrate to the United States. These same groups have far more power than their numbers and their ideologies do not work in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society.

5 — Anonymous wrote at 11:23 PM on April 9:

This is one more among many insanities. The Western world is slowly destroying itself for some delusional need for redemption. That judge should be deported to Africa. He will survive for a week. Apartheid, segregation, etc was absolutely needed to have a functional society. Look at present South Africa, Detroit, etc now without such measures.

6 — FirstDescent wrote at 12:27 AM on April 10:

I’ll keep my gun’s, freedom, & money….Judge Judy can keep the
“CHANGE”!

7 — Anonymous wrote at 3:26 AM on April 10:

Not holding my breath for any restitution for white land and businesses confiscated anywhere in Africa. It seems tolerance and diversity are a one way street.

8 — Anonymous wrote at 9:33 AM on April 10:

In 1990 I took an exam for the police department.I passed with a score of 99.When it was time to hire off the list I was 63 on a list of more than 3000. A black man I knew also took the same police test.I don’t remember his test grade but He was near 1100 on the list.This black fellow was interviewed for the job while I waited for my interview.Approximately one month after his interview I called the city central personnel department.I ask the women who took my call for a reason why they called someone listed near 1100 for an interview before calling me.The woman told me to just wait my turn.I explained to her my score placed me in the top 100.Her answer to me was the federal government orderd a list for minority and females.She said there were to many white males on the police department. Well I never did get the job but they did give me an interview.When I was interviewed by a black officer he made me feel like I was a criminal and I got the feeling it was a show interview.

9 — jewamongyou wrote at 1:10 PM on April 10:

Then perhaps I can sue the powers that be in Los Angeles for force busing me to black schools during the same time period - where I was victimized by brutal racial intimidation, at the hands of blacks, for four years. There is no question that white victims of black racism far outnumber black victims of white racism over the last 50 years.

10 — SKIP wrote at 3:29 PM on April 10:

Not holding my breath for any restitution for white land and businesses confiscated anywhere in Africa. It seems tolerance and diversity are a one way street.

Let’s not forget that the muslims did the same thing to Westerners in the middle East when ALL foreign assets were nationalized by those governments. They can’t run them and we can’t own, them so we should just leave them alone.

11 — Frank wrote at 1:24 PM on April 12:

This is as silly as the U.S. suing Mercedes for vehicles it made used against us in WWII.


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