Many veterans, while bravely serving their country, encountered a deadly form of a roadside bomb, known as EFPs and IEDs that put many soldiers at an increased risk of injury or death. The perils that they faced were seemingly needlessly and further heightened by certain banks that were allegedly masking wired transactions to help fund Iranian terrorist groups, which enabled them to make these deadly explosive devices.
In this article, we’re going to go over what the lawsuit against certain big banks is and go over why this is such an important lawsuit. Then we’ll talk about what IEDs and EFPs are and why they play such a big role.
The Lawsuit
There is a recent EFP IED injuries lawsuit that was brought against several big banks seeking compensation for EFP IED injuries and wounds caused by terrorist attacks that were allegedly funded by these big banks.
This complaint is 559 pages long and was filed by soldiers that were injured and the families of deceased soldiers. In this complaint, there are claims that several banks laundered billions of dollars on behalf of Iran to finance terrorism.
The IED lawsuit is targeting many banks including, Commerzbank, HSBC Bank, Barclays Bank, Credit Suisse Group AG, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered, and more. All of these banks are being accused of funding terrorist weapons in Iran which are said to have caused IED wounds and the death of a countless number of soldiers in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
The complaint also details the deaths and injuries that soldiers endured in terrorist attacks which allegedly implemented rockets, EFPs, and IEDs that were produced in Iran. These types of terrorist attacks caused serious injuries, and in some cases, death.
The IED Dangers
Many explosive devices are being used around the world in both terrorism and war acts. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are bombs that are not constructed and deployed as a typical conventional military action. These types of explosives are mostly used in terrorist attacks. In the Iraq War, extensive use of IEDs can be accounted for 63 percent of coalition deaths.
The use of IEDs aren’t entirely prohibited, and the use of the weapons is regulated by international humanitarian law. Unlawful uses of IEDs include attacks which were deliberately targeting concentrations of civilians to achieve the biggest effect of societal disruption, terror, and lethality. Unfortunately, these attacks occur around the world hundreds of times a month.
What part do the banks play in the distribution of IEDs? Well, it was revealed that the Iranian government was sending IEDs, EFPs, and other weapons to extremist terrorist groups in Iraq. There were sanctions in place on the country, but the banks that are apart of this lawsuit were said to have allegedly worked with Iran to get around the sanctions and help secure funding for weapons in exchange for large profits.
The Dangers of EFPs
An Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), also known as an explosively formed projectile, a self-forging fragment, or a self-forge warhead, is a special type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armor effectively.
So, why are veterans filing an EFP lawsuit? The EFP injury lawsuit states that more than a few banks were allegedly conspiring with Iranian banks to evade sanctions created by the United States against Iran. Like with the IED lawsuit, it is believed that billions of dollars went to Iranian terrorist groups. This lawsuit claims that the laundered money eventually was used to buy weapons that killed, maimed, or hurt soldiers that were serving in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
The Anti-Terrorism Act
The Anti-Terrorism Act was passed in the United States in 1992. This act allows victims of terrorism to file lawsuits against the financiers of terrorist groups. The Anti-terrorism Act states that any national may sue for injuries that were suspected to be an act of terrorism.
The lawsuits that come from this act aren’t criminal. Instead, they are civil lawsuits. The lawsuits are based on the premise of this clause of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which states:
“Any national in the United States injured in his or her person, property, or business by reason of the act of international terrorism, or his or her estate, survivors, or heirs, may sue therefor in any appropriate district court of the United States shall recover threefold the damages he or she sustains and the costs of the suit, including attorney’s fees.”
Which veterans are eligible to file an EFP IED lawsuit?
EFPs are called different things, and the name has become compatible with IEDs and other terms. Veterans and their families who were injured by the following devices may be eligible for money damages:
- Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP)
- Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)
- Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions (IRAM)
Injuries are Eligible for Veterans to File Lawsuits On
There is a wide variety of injuries that would allow you to file a lawsuit on. These injuries include:
- Combat-related injuries
- Blast injuries
- EFP injuries, including physical and mental
- IED injuries, including physical and mental
- IRAM injuries, including physical and mental
- Loss of limbs
- Death
- Mental impairment
- PTSD
- Shrapnel scars and wounds
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Vision Loss
If you are a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, then you should consider talking to a lawyer to see if you have a case that could result in monetary damages.
How is This Lawsuit Different Than the VA Disabilities Benefits?
The EFP IED litigation is separate from the VA disabilities benefits lawsuit. This is because the VA disability lawsuit is designed for veterans who have had their VA disability denied. However, this doesn’t always mean that you’re barred from entering the EFP IED lawsuit.
Filing an EFP IED injury lawsuit will not affect your VA disability claim.
If you were injured in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, don’t forget that you may also be entitled to VA disability benefits. Those veterans that have served in these wars can receive VA disability benefits for many physical and mental impairments that aren’t related to EFPs or IEDs.