Monday, November 7, 2005

Bass, Berry & Sims takes Ecuadorean torture claims to federal trial

CNN.com reports in this story that Nashville-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims is plaintiffs' counsel in a federal trial in Memphis against an El Salvador official accused of torture:

"A former Salvadoran Army colonel was in a U.S. court Monday to defend himself against accusations that his soldiers tortured and killed civilians during El Salvador's civil war in the 1980s."

"A civil lawsuit against Nicolas Carranza, 72, accuses him of crimes against humanity. A 10-member jury was seated Monday afternoon, and testimony begins Tuesday."

"'This is a first opportunity for our clients to finally have a chance to say what happened to them, to explain to a jury and to the world,' said Matthew Eisenbrandt, a lawyer for the Center for Justice and Accountability."

"The lawsuit, also handled by the Nashville law firm of Bass Berry & Sims, was filed under federal laws, inlcuding the Alien Tort Claims Act, which allow U.S. courts to assess damages in human rights violations abroad. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages."

Full story here

Related Tennessean story here

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