A 1996 amendment to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) enables
American victims of international terrorist acts supported by certain States designated
by the State Department as supporters of terrorism — Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea,
Sudan, Syria, and until recently, Iraq — to bring suit in federal court to seek monetary
damages. Holders of judgments against these States, however, have encountered
difficulties in their efforts to collect, despite congressional efforts to make blocked (or
“frozen”) assets of such States available for attachment by judgment creditors. A recent
court decision invalidating plaintiffs’ cause of action under the 1996 law raises
uncertainties about the future of lawsuits against terrorist States. This report provides
an overview of these issues, including a summary of a lawsuit against Iran by former
hostages, Roeder v. the Islamic Republic of Iran, and a lawsuit against Iraq by former
prisoners of war (POWs), Acree v. the Republic of Iraq, as well as a brief synopsis of
relevant legislative proposals (S. 1257, H.R. 1321, H.R. 865, H.Con.Res. 93). These
issues are covered in greater depth in CRS Report RL31258, Suits Against Terrorist
States By Victims of Terrorism.
