News Article reported in Reuters, along with press release and full text of lawsuit filed by family of Rachel Corrie (downloadable PDF files linked below).
Reuters: CHICAGO, March 18, 2005 - The family of a 23-year-old activist killed two years ago in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer accused its maker Caterpillar Inc. of "war crimes" in a federal lawsuit, according to court papers. The suit was filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle by Cynthia and Craig Corrie, the parents of Rachel Corrie, a college student who died on March 16, 2003, while trying to block the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Rafah refugee camp.
A spokesman for Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar declined comment except to say it was reviewing the suit and referenced an earlier statement that said the company has "neither the legal right nor the means to police individual use" of its equipment after it was sold.
Filed with the aid of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in compensatory damages plus unspecified punitive damages from Caterpillar.
"The family has been trying to get some accountability for a while," said the center's spokeswoman, Jen Nessel. "They cannot bring a criminal complaint so the only way is to file a civil suit seeking damages."
The complaint alleged Caterpillar was a party to "war crimes; aiding and abetting extrajudicial killing; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; wrongful death; and negligence."
Companion litigation was filed in Israel against the Israeli government, Nessel said.
In its investigation, Israel concluded Corrie's death was an accident and that the driver of the bulldozer did not see her. The probe said a slab of concrete slid down a mound of earth and crushed her.
But the lawsuit claimed there were two soldiers on the bulldozer as well as a spotter nearby who could not have missed seeing Corrie, who was wearing a bright red vest and waving her arms when she was run over. There were running arguments between the demolition teams and the activists that day, the suit said.
Corrie was among a group of activists from Olympia, Washington, who arrived in the Middle East in January 2003 to stage nonviolent actions and attempt to block the demolition of Palestinian homes.
Human Rights Watch and other groups have called on Caterpillar to stop supplying bulldozers and parts to Israel.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7948048
Related Resources:
* Press Release: Family of Rachel Corrie Charges Bulldozer Manufacturer Knowingly Sold Machines Used to Violate Human Rights, March 19, 2005
* Full text of lawsuit filed in US District Court, Seattle, Washington, March 15, 2005
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