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{{Infobox person
| name = Susan L. Burke
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| birth_place =
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place =
| alma_mater = [[Georgetown University]], B.A. in International Law<br />[[Columbus School of Law]], [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]]
| nationality = [[Americans|American]]
| other_names =
| known_for =
| occupation = [[Personal injury lawyer]]
}}


'''Susan L. Burke''' is an attorney with Burke O’Neil LLC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blackwater USA Sued for Firing on Iraqi Civilians|url=http://www.burkepllc.com/media/press-releases-detail.php?id=24&select_year=2011|work=Burke PLLC|publisher=Burke PLLC|accessdate=11 October 2011}}</ref> She represented the plaintiffs in [[Abtan v. Blackwater]] and a number of detainees in [[Abu Ghraib]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees|url=http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/court-rules-abu-ghraib-torture-victims-can-sue-contractor-caci,-according-le|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutonal rights|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|work=Center for Constitutional Rights|publisher=Center for Constitutional Rights|accessdate=11 October 2011}}</ref> She is licensed to practice law in [[Washington D.C.]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]].
'''Susan L. Burke''' is a personal injury lawyer who has gained widespread fame for cases in which she has represented plaintiffs suing the American military or military contractors. [[Abtan v. Blackwater]] case, and the representation of a number of former detainees of [[Baghdad Central Prison|Abu Ghraib]] prison who attempted to sue the private contractor interrogators and translators from [[CACI]] and [[Titan Corp.]] who were tasked with obtaining [[military intelligence]] from them during their detention.<ref>{{cite web|title=Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees|url=http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/court-rules-abu-ghraib-torture-victims-can-sue-contractor-caci,-according-le|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutonal rights|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|work=Center for Constitutional Rights|publisher=Center for Constitutional Rights|accessdate=11 October 2011}}</ref> She is licensed to practice law in [[Washington D.C.]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]].


==Early life and education==
==Education==
Burke graduated from [[Georgetown University]] where she majored in international law and politics. She received her J.D. from [[Catholic University]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|title=Susan L. Burke|url=http://www.burkepllc.com/attorneys/susan-burke.php|work=Burke PLLC|publisher=Burke PLLC|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref>
Burke, the daughter of a career Army officer, grew up on various Army bases.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rehm|first=Diane|title=NPR Interview - Sexual Assault and the U.S. Military|url=http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-02-17/sexual-assault-and-us-military/transcript|work=The Diane Rehm Show|publisher=NPR|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> She majored in international law and politics at [[Georgetown University]], and received her [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] in 1987 from the [[Columbus School of Law]] at [[the Catholic University of America]].<ref name=Profile>{{cite web|title=Profile of Susan L. Burke|url=http://www.burkepllc.com/attorneys/susan-burke.php|publisher=Burke PLLC|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref>


Burke is married to Jamison Koehler, a criminal defense lawyer in the Washington, D.C., area who specializes in [[Driving under the influence|DUI]] cases.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jamison Koehler's Linkedin Profile|url=http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamisonkoehler|publisher=Linkedin|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> Byrke and Koehler met while they were students at Georgetown.<ref>{{cite web|last=Koehler|first=Jamison|title=The Blackwater Fraud Trial: Ode to Plaintiff’s Counsel|url=http://koehlerlaw.net/2011/07/the-blackwater-fraud-trial-ode-to-plaintiffs-counsel/|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref>
⚫
==Notable Cases==

==Career==
In 2000, Burke became an Equity Partner at the law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads LLP. In either January<ref name=Linkedin>{{cite web|title=Susan Burke's Linkedin Profile|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/susan-burke/13/6b8/144|publisher=Linkedin|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> or August<ref name=Profile /> of 2005 she left to form her own firm, which has been know, in turn, as Burke Pyle LLC, Burke O'Neil LLC, and Burke PLLC.<ref name=History>{{cite web|title=Our History|url=http://www.burkepllc.com/firm/history.php|publisher=Burke PLLC|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref>

Since establishing her firm, Burke has taken on a number of controversial high-profile cases. For example, she has represented accused terrorists who have sought damages from the U.S. Government, which had detained them as [[enemy combatant|enemy combatants]]. As defense counsel for seventeen plaintiffs who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the military, she filed suit against former [[Secretary of Defense|Secretaries of Defense]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]] and [[Robert Gates]] on the grounds that they were partially responsible for creating a military environment that made such assaults possible. She also sought payments for the families of Iraqi citizens who had allegedly been killed or injured on a busy Baghdad street by employees of a private military company, Blackwater, who were drawn into a firefight while protecting a convoy of U.S. officials All of these cases ended in dismissal.<ref name=Saleh>{{cite web|title=Saleh et al v. Titan et al.|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/saleh-v-titan|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=15 October 2011}}</ref><ref name="Army Times">{{cite web|last=Kime|first=Patricia|title=Troops’ sexual assault lawsuit dismissed|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/12/military-sexual-assault-lawsuit-dismissed-121311w/|publisher=Army Times|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref><ref name=Abtan>{{cite web|title=Abtan, et al. v. Prince, et al.|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref>

Critics of Burke's defense of Abu Ghraib detainees have cited Pentagon reports showing that 14-20% of individuals who have been released from such facilities because they have been deemed not to pose a serious threat do, in fact, [[Lists of former Guantanamo Bay detainees alleged to have returned to terrorism|resume terrorist activities]].<ref name="NY Times - Recidivism">{{cite news|last=Bumiller|first=Elisabeth|title=Later Terror Link Cited for 1 in 7 Freed Detainees|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/us/politics/21gitmo.html|accessdate=14 December 2011|newspaper=The New York Times online|date=May 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name="CBS - Recidivism">{{cite news|last=Martin|first=David|title=18% of Gitmo Detainees Go Back to Terror|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/30/eveningnews/main5199148.shtml|accessdate=14 December 2011|newspaper=CBS Online|date=July 30, 2009}}</ref> One such former detainee, [[Ibrahim Shafir Sen]], who was released from Guantanamo and, with Burke as his attorney, filed a suit against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,<ref>{{cite web|title=Celikgogus v. Rumsfeld & Allaithi v. Rumsfeld|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/celikgogus-v.-rumsfeld|publisher=Center for Constitutional Rights|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref> was later re-arrested in Turkey and charged with being a leader of an al-Qaida terrorist cell.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fact Sheet - Former GTMO Detainee Terrorism Trends|url=http://www.defense.gov/news/d20080613Returntothefightfactsheet.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Defense|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref> Burke, however, consistently maintains the innocence of her clients, saying of them, "These innocent men were senselessly tortured by U.S. companies that profited from their misery."<ref name=Fox>{{cite news|last=Dishneau|first=David|title=Abu Ghraib inmates sue contractors, claim torture|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jun30/0,4670,AbuGhraibLawsuits,00.html|accessdate=14 December 2011|newspaper=Fox News online|date=June 30, 2008}}</ref><ref name=Overseas>{{cite web|title=Iraqis’ Torture Case Against L-3 Services Proceeds|url=https://civiliancontractors.wordpress.com/tag/susan-l-burke/|publisher=Overseas Civilian Contractors|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref> In her lawsuits, however, she provides no evidence of their innocence, since the suits deal solely with the issue of alleged torture during interrogation.

During a hearing on the civil immunity of government contractors working at Abu Ghraib, Burke asserted that enemy combatants should have the right to sue U.S. soldiers if the U.S. attorney general "fails to intervene." The court disagreed.<ref name=Immunity>{{cite news|last=O'Dell|first=Larry|title=Abu Ghraib contractors seek civil immunity|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39852644/ns/us_news-security/t/abu-ghraib-contractors-seek-civil-immunity/#.TuilG7LTqhU|accessdate=14 December 2011|newspaper=MSNBC|date=October 26, 2010}}</ref>

Burke has acknowledged that her firm maintains a "presence in Iraq" in order to locate individuals who wish to sue the U.S. military or military contractors. She has also spoken of traveling to Syria, Jordan, and Turkey to find clients. But she maintains, nonetheless, that her clients have sought her out, rather than the other way around, for such [[barratry|solicitation]] would be illegal under U.S. law.<ref>{{cite web|title=ABA Rule 7.3 Direct Contact With Prospective Clients|url=http://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_7_3_direct_contact_with_prospective_clients.html|publisher=American Bar Association|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref> In an interview with [[Amy Goodman]] of ''[[Democracy Now!]]'', Burke stated, "Well, really they -— we don’t find them, they find us. We are — we have a couple of — it’s word of mouth."<ref name="Democracy Now">{{cite web|last=Goodman|first=Amy|title=Transcript of - CACI Awarded Millions in New Govt. Contracts Despite Being Accused of Widespread Abuse in Lawsuit Brought by 256 Prisoners Held in Iraqi Jails|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/14/caci_awarded_millions_in_new_gvt|publisher=Democracy Now!|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref>

⚫
==Notable cases==
===Abtan v. Blackwater===
===Abtan v. Blackwater===
{{see also|Abtan v. Blackwater}}
{{see also|Abtan v. Blackwater}}
Burke represented plaintiffs Talib Mutlaq Deewan and the estates of Himoud Saed Abtan, Usama Fadil Abbass and Oday Ismail Ibraheem in a lawsuit against Blackwater. The lawsuit stemmed from the firefight in Nisoor Square in Baghdad. The lawsuit alleged Blackwater violated the federal [[Alien Tort Statute]] in committing extrajudicial killing and war crimes, and that the company was liable for assault and battery, wrongful death, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring, training and supervision.<ref>{{cite web|title=Abtan v. Blackwater (Sept. 16, 2007 Baghdad Shooting)|url=http://www.contractormisconduct.org/index.cfm/1,73,222,html?CaseID=820|work=pogo.org|publisher=pogo.org|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Abtan, et al. v. Prince, et al.|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref>
Burke represented plaintiffs Talib Mutlaq Deewan and the estates of Himoud Saed Abtan, Usama Fadil Abbass and Oday Ismail Ibraheem in a lawsuit against Blackwater. The lawsuit, which stemmed from the firefight in Nisoor Square in Baghdad, alleged Blackwater had violated the federal [[Alien Tort Statute]] by committing extrajudicial killing and war crimes, and that the company was liable for assault and battery, wrongful death, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring, training and supervision. <ref>{{cite web|title=Abtan v. Blackwater (Sept. 16, 2007 Baghdad Shooting)|url=http://www.contractormisconduct.org/index.cfm/1,73,222,html?CaseID=820|work=pogo.org|publisher=pogo.org|accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref> Judge Ricardo Urbina threw out the suit, criticizing Burke for withholding "substantial exculpatory evidence" from the grand jury and for presenting "distorted versions" of witnesses' testimony.<ref name="BW Dropped">{{cite web|last=Savage|first=Charlie|title=Judge Drops Charges From Blackwater Deaths in Iraq|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/us/01blackwater.html|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.<ref name=Abtan />

===Saleh et al v. Titan et al.===
===Saleh et al v. Titan et al.===
In 2008, a Federal Judge in Virginia allowed former detainees to sue [[CACI International Inc.]] and [[Tital Corportation]] for treatment while being held in [[Abu Ghraib]]. Burke represents a group of men suing this organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees|url=http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/court-rules-abu-ghraib-torture-victims-can-sue-contractor-caci,-according-le|work=center for constitional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=15 October 2011}}</ref> The case was dismissed in 2009 by a panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. On June 27, 2011, the Supreme Court issued an order denying Plaintiffs petition for certiorari, thereby ending this case.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saleh et al v. Titan et al.|url=http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/saleh-v-titan|work=center for constitutional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=15 October 2011}}</ref>
In 2008, a Federal Judge in Virginia allowed former detainees to sue [[CACI International Inc.]] and [[Titan Corp.]] for mistreatment while being held in [[Abu Ghraib]]. Burke represented a group of men suing these organizations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees|url=http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/court-rules-abu-ghraib-torture-victims-can-sue-contractor-caci,-according-le|work=center for constitional rights|publisher=center for constitutional rights|accessdate=15 October 2011}}</ref> The case was dismissed on September 11, 2009 by a panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, on the ground that the charges could not be brought against the contractors under the Alien Tort Statute. On June 27, 2011, the Supreme Court refused to review the case.<ref name=Saleh />

===U.S. Training Center (formerly Blackwater Lodge) FCA allegations===
A suit, officially know as United States of America, ''ex rel.'' Melan Davis and Brad Davis v. U.S. Training Center, Inc., f/k/a Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, Inc., was filed in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 28, 2011,<ref name=Justia>{{cite web|title=United States ex rel Davis v. U.S. Training Center Inc.|url=http://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca4/11-2180/|publisher=Justia Dockets & Filings|accessdate=9 January 2012}}</ref> under the [[False Claims Act]] (FCA). The plaintiffs, Melan and Brad Davis, alleged that their former employer, U.S. Training Center, had overbilled and defrauded the U.S. government while providing security services in New Orleans after [[Hurricane Katrina]], as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan.<ref name="Doc 513">{{cite web|title=TRJ Davis et al v. Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, Inc. et al - Document 513|url=http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/virginia/vaedce/1:2008cv01244/236948/513|accessdate=9 January 2012}}</ref> Of the six named defendants and "numerous" claims, all but one defendant and two claims were dismissed by the court at or before [[summary judgement]].<ref name="Mot Att fees">{{cite journal|last=Defendants Counsel|title=Defendants' memorandum in support of their motion for attorneys' fees, costs and expenses|journal=United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria Division|date=29 August 2011|volume=Case 1:08-cv-01244-TSE -TRJ|issue=Document 640|pages=1-33|accessdate=9 January 2012}}</ref> On August 5, 2011, a jury ruled in favor of the company, after the evidence presented failed to substantiate any of the plaintiffs' claims. Much of the evidence presented was ruled by by [[United States federal judge|Federal Judge]] [[T.S. Ellis III]] to be either inadmissible or unsubstantiated, including the oft-reported<ref>{{cite news|title=Suit: Prostitute, strippers part of Blackwater fraud|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-12/justice/blackwater.suit_1_blackwater-employees-fraud-suit-strippers?_s=PM:CRIME|accessdate=9 January 2012|newspaper=CNN|date=12 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2 Ex-Workers Accuse Blackwater Security Company of Defrauding the U.S. for Years|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11suit.html|accessdate=9 January 2012|newspaper=New York Times|date=10 February 2012}}</ref> claim that the contractors had billed the government for prostitutes.<ref name=Military>{{cite news|last=Barakat|first=Matthew|title=Jury Rules in Favor of Blackwater in Lawsuit|url=http://www.military.com/news/article/jury-rules-in-favor-of-blackwater-in-lawsuit.html|accessdate=9 January 2012|newspaper=Associated Press|date=6 August 2011}}</ref> Citing Burke's frequent presentation of evidence that relied solely on "hearsay and innuendo", the Court went so far as to say that "this is the most abysmally prepared case I have ever run across in 25 years."<ref name="Mot Att fees" />


== References ==
== References ==
<!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags which will then appear here automatically -->
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


Revision as of 07:24, 25 January 2012

Susan L. Burke
NationalityAmerican
Alma materGeorgetown University, B.A. in International Law
Columbus School of Law, J.D.
OccupationPersonal injury lawyer

Susan L. Burke is a personal injury lawyer who has gained widespread fame for cases in which she has represented plaintiffs suing the American military or military contractors. Abtan v. Blackwater case, and the representation of a number of former detainees of Abu Ghraib prison who attempted to sue the private contractor interrogators and translators from CACI and Titan Corp. who were tasked with obtaining military intelligence from them during their detention.[1][2] She is licensed to practice law in Washington D.C., Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Early life and education

Burke, the daughter of a career Army officer, grew up on various Army bases.[3] She majored in international law and politics at Georgetown University, and received her J.D. in 1987 from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.[4]

Burke is married to Jamison Koehler, a criminal defense lawyer in the Washington, D.C., area who specializes in DUI cases.[5] Byrke and Koehler met while they were students at Georgetown.[6]

Career

In 2000, Burke became an Equity Partner at the law firm of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads LLP. In either January[7] or August[4] of 2005 she left to form her own firm, which has been know, in turn, as Burke Pyle LLC, Burke O'Neil LLC, and Burke PLLC.[8]

Since establishing her firm, Burke has taken on a number of controversial high-profile cases. For example, she has represented accused terrorists who have sought damages from the U.S. Government, which had detained them as enemy combatants. As defense counsel for seventeen plaintiffs who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the military, she filed suit against former Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates on the grounds that they were partially responsible for creating a military environment that made such assaults possible. She also sought payments for the families of Iraqi citizens who had allegedly been killed or injured on a busy Baghdad street by employees of a private military company, Blackwater, who were drawn into a firefight while protecting a convoy of U.S. officials All of these cases ended in dismissal.[9][10][11]

Critics of Burke's defense of Abu Ghraib detainees have cited Pentagon reports showing that 14-20% of individuals who have been released from such facilities because they have been deemed not to pose a serious threat do, in fact, resume terrorist activities.[12][13] One such former detainee, Ibrahim Shafir Sen, who was released from Guantanamo and, with Burke as his attorney, filed a suit against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,[14] was later re-arrested in Turkey and charged with being a leader of an al-Qaida terrorist cell.[15] Burke, however, consistently maintains the innocence of her clients, saying of them, "These innocent men were senselessly tortured by U.S. companies that profited from their misery."[16][17] In her lawsuits, however, she provides no evidence of their innocence, since the suits deal solely with the issue of alleged torture during interrogation.

During a hearing on the civil immunity of government contractors working at Abu Ghraib, Burke asserted that enemy combatants should have the right to sue U.S. soldiers if the U.S. attorney general "fails to intervene." The court disagreed.[18]

Burke has acknowledged that her firm maintains a "presence in Iraq" in order to locate individuals who wish to sue the U.S. military or military contractors. She has also spoken of traveling to Syria, Jordan, and Turkey to find clients. But she maintains, nonetheless, that her clients have sought her out, rather than the other way around, for such solicitation would be illegal under U.S. law.[19] In an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Burke stated, "Well, really they -— we don’t find them, they find us. We are — we have a couple of — it’s word of mouth."[20]

Notable cases

Abtan v. Blackwater

See also: Abtan v. Blackwater

Burke represented plaintiffs Talib Mutlaq Deewan and the estates of Himoud Saed Abtan, Usama Fadil Abbass and Oday Ismail Ibraheem in a lawsuit against Blackwater. The lawsuit, which stemmed from the firefight in Nisoor Square in Baghdad, alleged Blackwater had violated the federal Alien Tort Statute by committing extrajudicial killing and war crimes, and that the company was liable for assault and battery, wrongful death, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring, training and supervision. [21] Judge Ricardo Urbina threw out the suit, criticizing Burke for withholding "substantial exculpatory evidence" from the grand jury and for presenting "distorted versions" of witnesses' testimony.[22] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.[11]

Saleh et al v. Titan et al.

In 2008, a Federal Judge in Virginia allowed former detainees to sue CACI International Inc. and Titan Corp. for mistreatment while being held in Abu Ghraib. Burke represented a group of men suing these organizations.[23] The case was dismissed on September 11, 2009 by a panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, on the ground that the charges could not be brought against the contractors under the Alien Tort Statute. On June 27, 2011, the Supreme Court refused to review the case.[9]

U.S. Training Center (formerly Blackwater Lodge) FCA allegations

A suit, officially know as United States of America, ex rel. Melan Davis and Brad Davis v. U.S. Training Center, Inc., f/k/a Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, Inc., was filed in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 28, 2011,[24] under the False Claims Act (FCA). The plaintiffs, Melan and Brad Davis, alleged that their former employer, U.S. Training Center, had overbilled and defrauded the U.S. government while providing security services in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan.[25] Of the six named defendants and "numerous" claims, all but one defendant and two claims were dismissed by the court at or before summary judgement.[26] On August 5, 2011, a jury ruled in favor of the company, after the evidence presented failed to substantiate any of the plaintiffs' claims. Much of the evidence presented was ruled by by Federal Judge T.S. Ellis III to be either inadmissible or unsubstantiated, including the oft-reported[27][28] claim that the contractors had billed the government for prostitutes.[29] Citing Burke's frequent presentation of evidence that relied solely on "hearsay and innuendo", the Court went so far as to say that "this is the most abysmally prepared case I have ever run across in 25 years."[26]

References

  1. ^ "Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees". center for constitutional rights. center for constitutonal rights. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  2. ^ "http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/abtan-et-al-v-blackwater-usa-et-al". Center for Constitutional Rights. Center for Constitutional Rights. Retrieved 11 October 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  3. ^ Rehm, Diane. "NPR Interview - Sexual Assault and the U.S. Military". The Diane Rehm Show. NPR. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Profile of Susan L. Burke". Burke PLLC. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Jamison Koehler's Linkedin Profile". Linkedin. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  6. ^ Koehler, Jamison. "The Blackwater Fraud Trial: Ode to Plaintiff's Counsel". Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  7. ^ "Susan Burke's Linkedin Profile". Linkedin. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  8. ^ "Our History". Burke PLLC. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Saleh et al v. Titan et al". center for constitutional rights. center for constitutional rights. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  10. ^ Kime, Patricia. "Troops' sexual assault lawsuit dismissed". Army Times. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Abtan, et al. v. Prince, et al". center for constitutional rights. center for constitutional rights. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  12. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (May 20, 2009). "Later Terror Link Cited for 1 in 7 Freed Detainees". The New York Times online. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  13. ^ Martin, David (July 30, 2009). "18% of Gitmo Detainees Go Back to Terror". CBS Online. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Celikgogus v. Rumsfeld & Allaithi v. Rumsfeld". Center for Constitutional Rights. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  15. ^ "Fact Sheet - Former GTMO Detainee Terrorism Trends" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  16. ^ Dishneau, David (June 30, 2008). "Abu Ghraib inmates sue contractors, claim torture". Fox News online. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  17. ^ "Iraqis' Torture Case Against L-3 Services Proceeds". Overseas Civilian Contractors. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  18. ^ O'Dell, Larry (October 26, 2010). "Abu Ghraib contractors seek civil immunity". MSNBC. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  19. ^ "ABA Rule 7.3 Direct Contact With Prospective Clients". American Bar Association. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  20. ^ Goodman, Amy. "Transcript of - CACI Awarded Millions in New Govt. Contracts Despite Being Accused of Widespread Abuse in Lawsuit Brought by 256 Prisoners Held in Iraqi Jails". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  21. ^ "Abtan v. Blackwater (Sept. 16, 2007 Baghdad Shooting)". pogo.org. pogo.org. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  22. ^ Savage, Charlie. "Judge Drops Charges From Blackwater Deaths in Iraq". New York Times. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  23. ^ "Court Rules Abu Ghraib Torture Victims Can Sue Contractor CACI, According to Legal Team for Former Detainees". center for constitional rights. center for constitutional rights. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  24. ^ "United States ex rel Davis v. U.S. Training Center Inc". Justia Dockets & Filings. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  25. ^ "TRJ Davis et al v. Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, Inc. et al - Document 513". Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  26. ^ a b Defendants Counsel (29 August 2011). "Defendants' memorandum in support of their motion for attorneys' fees, costs and expenses". United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria Division. Case 1:08-cv-01244-TSE -TRJ (Document 640): 1–33. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  27. ^ "Suit: Prostitute, strippers part of Blackwater fraud". CNN. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  28. ^ "2 Ex-Workers Accuse Blackwater Security Company of Defrauding the U.S. for Years". New York Times. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  29. ^ Barakat, Matthew (6 August 2011). "Jury Rules in Favor of Blackwater in Lawsuit". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
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