Tortured Abu Ghraib Prisoners Awarded $42 Million by Jury (1)

A jury concluded that CACI Premier Technology Inc. must pay $42 million to three plaintiffs claiming that they were abused by military personnel at an Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

CACI must pay each of the plaintiffs $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages, the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a media release. The verdict resulted from a retrial with a new jury in federal court.

“Our clients have fought bravely for 16 years in search of justice for the horrors they endured at Abu Ghraib, against all of the challenges this massive private military contractor threw in their way over the years to avoid basic accountability for its role in this shameful episode in American history,” said Baher Azmy, legal director for CCR.

A CACI spokesperson said the company will appeal the verdict.

“For nearly two decades, CACI has been wrongly subjected to long-term, negative affiliation with the unfortunate and reckless actions of a group of military police at Abu Ghraib prison from 2003 through 2004,” the spokesperson said. “The individuals liable for the egregious behavior were court martialed and punished for the crimes that occurred well over a decade ago.”

The spokesperson also said that CACI employees didn’t take part in “nor were any of our employees responsible for these disturbing events.”

Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia presided over the trial, which started in late October. A jury in May failed to reach a unanimous decision in the first trial.

The three plaintiffs sued CACI in 2008 saying the Virginia-based government contractor helped military personnel commit acts of torture and war crimes at Abu Ghraib in 2003 and 2004.

The district court ruled in March 2019 that the derivative sovereign immunity defense didn’t shield CACI from the suit.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rejected CACI’s interlocutory appeal of that ruling in August 2019, stating that it had never held that a denial of sovereign immunity or derivative sovereign immunity is immediately reviewable.

CACI asked the US Supreme Court to review that decision, but the petition was denied in June 2021. The district court lifted a stay on proceedings in July 2021.

The district court denied CACI’s motions to dismiss in July 2023.

Johnson/Citronberg PLLC; Center for Constitutional Rights; and Akeel & Valentine PLC represent the plaintiffs. Steptoe LLP and William D. Dolan III of Falls Church, Va., represent CACI.

The case is Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Technology Inc., E.D. Va., No. 08-cv-827, 11/8/24.