Court: Contractor owes $5 million to U.S. soldier's family

Source: CNN

updated 58 minutes ago

Court: Contractor owes $5 million to U.S. soldier's family

By Wayne Drash
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A federal court has
ordered a Kuwait-based contractor to pay nearly $5
million in damages to the family of a U.S. military
officer killed in Iraq -- a rare court decision holding
a contracting company accountable for its actions
in the war.

Army Lt. Col. Dominic "Rocky" Baragona was just an
hour away from a U.S. base in Kuwait -- ultimately
headed home to the United States -- when a tractor-
trailer operated by Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport
Company slammed into his Humvee on May 19, 2003,
killing him instantly.

-snip-

His family filed a wrongful death suit against KGL.
Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Georgia sided with the family,
holding the Kuwait company negligent in Baragona's
death for failing to provide safe passage on the
three-lane road where the accident occurred.

A key issue in the judge's decision was whether
a U.S. court had jurisdiction over a foreign
contractor and whether there was a legal basis to
find it negligent. Ultimately, Judge William Duffey
found that there was.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/26/soldier.lawsuit/index.html

Enough already, sue Blackwater in civil court and every other contractor in Iraq/Afghanistan for even the smallest infraction that harmed a U.S. citizen.

Seriously, I don't believe the judgment will be sustained on appeal.