Blacks Demand Equal Justice From New York Life Insurance Company

Emediawire (press release), WA
Nov 22 2004

Outraged over what they call a Jim Crow standard for justice,”
Black descendants of enslaved Africans launched an online campaign
against New York Life Insurance Company entitled, “Justice 4 One –
Justice 4 All”. The campaign raises questions about why, on January
26, 2004, New York Life forced Black descendants of African slavery
victims out of court with a class action lawsuit for restitution, and
three (3) days later settled a similar case for $20 million with
White descendants of Armenian genocide victims. The website is
located at:

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 22, 2004 — Outraged over what they
call a “Jim Crow standard for justice,” Black descendants of African
slavery victims launched an online campaign against New York Life
Insurance Company entitled, “Justice 4 One – Justice 4 All” – at
The campaign raises questions about
why, on January 26, 2004, New York Life forced Blacks out of court
with a class action lawsuit for slavery restitution, and three days
later settled a similar case for $20 million with White descendants
of Armenian genocide victims.

The slavery case was filed against New York Life in May of 2002, and
is entitled, In Re: African-American Slave Descendants,
CV-02-7764(CRN) (United States District Court, Northern District of
Illinois, Eastern Division). Black plaintiffs claimed that New York
Life committed a crime against humanity via its early company that
wrote life insurance policies enslaving their African ancestors in
mid-1800. Slave owners were the beneficiaries.

Over one third of New York Life’s first revenue came from writing
slave policies. This practice encouraged the employment of enslaved
people in ultra-hazardous capacities, like coal mining or
constructing railroads, which sometimes resulted in burning and
drowning deaths. The website contains a copy of a company policy
enslaving an African named Robert Moody who was employed in a
Virginia coal pit.

The Armenian genocide case, Marootian v. New York Life Insurance
Company, CV-99-12073(CAS),(United States District Court, Central
District of California), was filed in November of 1999. The
plaintiffs claimed that New York Life wrongfully failed to pay
benefits under life insurance policies they issued as far back as the
1870s in the Turkish Ottoman Empire on the lives of their Armenian
ancestors. New York Life denies any wrongdoing.

Slave descendants say critical factors in the cases were identical
and should have resulted in the same outcome:
– Both cases involved insurance policies from the 19th century;
– Both involved descendants making claims on behalf of
themselves and their ancestors; and
– Both cases resulted from some of the worst crimes committed
against humans in world history — the enslavement of Africans, and
the genocide of Armenians.

“Race is the key difference in these cases. This looks like
discrimination against African-Americans,” said Deadria Farmer-
Paellmann, Executive Director of the Restitution Study Group — the
New York non-profit sponsoring the campaign.

The slavery case was amended in the Northern District Federal Court
in Chicago, Illinois on April 5, 2004. A decision is pending.

Contact:
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
Phone: 917-365-3007

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