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ANCA joins brief to back law protecting Armenian Americans' property rights
August 4, 2012 - 13:13 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
joined an amicus brief this week to uphold a California law that
protects the property rights of Armenian Americans, who were denied
life insurance benefits during and after the Armenian Genocide.
The filing follows a long and complex legal history that has included
three separate and conflicting opinions from the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals, the most recent on February 23, 2012, striking down the
California statute, based on an unprecedented expansion of the rarely
invoked doctrine of foreign affairs field preemption. In its ruling,
the Ninth Circuit invalidated the California law extending the statute
of limitations for certain life insurance claims, because Turkey
opposes references to the Armenian Genocide and the use of the term.
Kate Nahapetian, Government Affairs Director of the ANCA, stated `We
want to express our deep appreciation to the Attorney General of
California Kamala Harris and Attorneys General Masto, Kilmartin and
Schuette for joining in our fight for justice. We also want to thank
all the federal and state legislators who filed an amicus brief and
all the attorneys, who have given so generously of their time free of
charge. We are confident that we will prevail in our fight against
Munich Re, as they continue to aid and abet Turkey's campaign of
genocide denial.'
The ANCA joined the amicus brief in support of plaintiffs' appeal to
the Supreme Court, along with the Armenian Bar Association, Zoryan
Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, Inc.,
Genocide Education Project, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action,
Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, and the International Human
Rights Clinic of the University of Southern California Gould School of
Law. The team of lawyers from the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, led
by partner David Balabanian, who have generously been offering free
legal representation on this case for several years, filed the brief.
Appellate attorney and former Supreme Court clerk Igor Timofeyev of
the law firm Paul Hastings filed the original appeal to the Supreme
Court on behalf of plaintiffs in June 2012, urging the Court to
overturn the Ninth Circuit's recent en banc ruling. Parties interested
in supporting plaintiffs' appeal had until August 1, 2012 to file
their amicus briefs.
Other parties supporting plaintiffs' appeal were California Attorney
General Kamala Harris, who was joined by Nevada Attorney General
Catherine Cortez Masto, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. Attorneys General Masto
and Kilmartin had also joined Attorney General Harris on a previous
amicus brief, when it was before the Ninth Circuit. Leading up to the
filing, the ANCA had organized a citizen campaign to engage Attorneys
General from across the country about the importance of this case and
defending Armenian American property claims.
A third amicus brief was filed by several federal and state
legislators, including Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), who was a
lead author of the California statute at issue when she was a
California State Senator, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee Howard Berman (D-CA), Representatives David Cicilline
(D-RI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ed Royce (R-CA), Adam
Schiff (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA). Members of the legislature of
the State of California who joined the brief were Senate President pro
Tempore Darrell Steinberg, Majority Leader of the Assembly Charles
Calderon (D-58), Senator Kevin de León (D-22), Assembly Members Katcho
Achadjian (R-33) and Anthony Portantino (D-44).
Claims for unpaid life insurance policies dating back to the Armenian
Genocide were first brought by plaintiff's attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan.
Attorneys who have been representing plaintiffs include Mark Geragos,
Brian Kabateck, and Lee Crawford Boyd, ANCA reported.
August 4, 2012 - 13:13 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
joined an amicus brief this week to uphold a California law that
protects the property rights of Armenian Americans, who were denied
life insurance benefits during and after the Armenian Genocide.
The filing follows a long and complex legal history that has included
three separate and conflicting opinions from the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals, the most recent on February 23, 2012, striking down the
California statute, based on an unprecedented expansion of the rarely
invoked doctrine of foreign affairs field preemption. In its ruling,
the Ninth Circuit invalidated the California law extending the statute
of limitations for certain life insurance claims, because Turkey
opposes references to the Armenian Genocide and the use of the term.
Kate Nahapetian, Government Affairs Director of the ANCA, stated `We
want to express our deep appreciation to the Attorney General of
California Kamala Harris and Attorneys General Masto, Kilmartin and
Schuette for joining in our fight for justice. We also want to thank
all the federal and state legislators who filed an amicus brief and
all the attorneys, who have given so generously of their time free of
charge. We are confident that we will prevail in our fight against
Munich Re, as they continue to aid and abet Turkey's campaign of
genocide denial.'
The ANCA joined the amicus brief in support of plaintiffs' appeal to
the Supreme Court, along with the Armenian Bar Association, Zoryan
Institute for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, Inc.,
Genocide Education Project, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action,
Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, and the International Human
Rights Clinic of the University of Southern California Gould School of
Law. The team of lawyers from the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, led
by partner David Balabanian, who have generously been offering free
legal representation on this case for several years, filed the brief.
Appellate attorney and former Supreme Court clerk Igor Timofeyev of
the law firm Paul Hastings filed the original appeal to the Supreme
Court on behalf of plaintiffs in June 2012, urging the Court to
overturn the Ninth Circuit's recent en banc ruling. Parties interested
in supporting plaintiffs' appeal had until August 1, 2012 to file
their amicus briefs.
Other parties supporting plaintiffs' appeal were California Attorney
General Kamala Harris, who was joined by Nevada Attorney General
Catherine Cortez Masto, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. Attorneys General Masto
and Kilmartin had also joined Attorney General Harris on a previous
amicus brief, when it was before the Ninth Circuit. Leading up to the
filing, the ANCA had organized a citizen campaign to engage Attorneys
General from across the country about the importance of this case and
defending Armenian American property claims.
A third amicus brief was filed by several federal and state
legislators, including Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), who was a
lead author of the California statute at issue when she was a
California State Senator, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee Howard Berman (D-CA), Representatives David Cicilline
(D-RI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ed Royce (R-CA), Adam
Schiff (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA). Members of the legislature of
the State of California who joined the brief were Senate President pro
Tempore Darrell Steinberg, Majority Leader of the Assembly Charles
Calderon (D-58), Senator Kevin de León (D-22), Assembly Members Katcho
Achadjian (R-33) and Anthony Portantino (D-44).
Claims for unpaid life insurance policies dating back to the Armenian
Genocide were first brought by plaintiff's attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan.
Attorneys who have been representing plaintiffs include Mark Geragos,
Brian Kabateck, and Lee Crawford Boyd, ANCA reported.