BRITISH INSURANCE GIANT AVIVA IS 11TH INSURER SUED BY VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan

Se p 19, 2008

LOS ANGELES, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Descendants
of the Armenian Genocide filed a class action lawsuit yesterday
against Aviva, a British Insurance company that is the successor
in interest to Norwich Union and Commercial Union, companies that
sold insurance to Armenians in Turkish Ottoman Empire prior to the
1915 genocide. The lawsuit seeks to recover life and fire insurance
benefits that were wrongfully withheld from beneficiaries of those
killed during the genocide. Aviva is the 11th insurance company to
be sued on behalf of Armenian Genocide victims and their heirs.

Raffi Baghtchedjian and Nisan Papazyan, the lead plaintiffs of the
federal class action lawsuit, are suing on behalf of all Armenians
who owned Norwich Union life insurance and Commercial Union life
and fire insurance policies during the Armenian Genocide, and whose
beneficiaries were never paid insurance benefits. Baghtchedjian
and Papazyan are represented by attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan of
Glendale-based Yeghiayan & Associates, who is co-counsel for similar
class action cases, including Marootian v. New York Life Insurance
Company, Kyurkjian v. Axa, Movsesian v. Victoria Versicherung AG,
and Deirmenjian, v. Deutsche Bank AG. In the lawsuit, Baghtchedjian
and Papazyan are asking the federal court for an order requiring Aviva
to pay the insurance benefits belonging to Armenians to their heirs.

>From 1880 to 1915, many Armenians living in Turkey purchased life and
fire insurance policies from various European and American Insurance
companies.

This case involves those who purchased policies from Norwich Union
and Commercial Union. On April 24, 1915, the Turkish Ottoman Empire
launched a systematic campaign to destroy Armenians through a process
of massacre.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress