USS Cole Victims Awarded Nearly $2 Billion in Default Judgment

Injured US Navy sailors and family members of those killed won a nearly $2 billion default judgment against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the October 2000 terrorist bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.

The sailors and family members brought claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress and sought compensation for pain and suffering under 1605A of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. Because the Islamic Republic of Iran didn’t enter an appearance, the plaintiffs’ motion for default judgment was granted, said Judge Rudolph Contreras of the US District Court for the District of Columbia Monday.

The court’s prerequisites for ...