TOWN HALL ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAWSUITS TO BE HELD TONIGHT
Jason Wells

Glendale News Press
Sept 23 2009
CA

A coalition of Armenian groups and attorneys are scheduled to hold a
town hall meeting tonight to discuss the implications of a U.S. 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals decision that struck down a California law
allowing insurance claim lawsuits related to the Armenian Genocide.

The town hall meeting — to be held at St. Mary’s Apostolic Church,
500 S. Central Ave. — comes as Rep. Adam Schiff filed a legal
brief Monday with the appellate court in support of a petition for
a rehearing of the case.

In August, a divided three-judge panel for the U.S. 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals struck down the law Schiff co-wrote during his time in the
state Legislature allowing family members of Armenian Genocide victims
to request payment on their life insurance policies. The panel argued
that the state law was preempted by federal policy that has yet to
officially recognize the genocide.

The plaintiffs sought settlement of claims under policies issued by
German insurers Victoria Versicherung and Ergo Versicherungsgruppe, as
well as their parent company, Munchener Ruckversicherungsgesellschaft.

Despite widespread global recognition of the massacre of 1.5 million
Armenians in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide,
the U.S. has never officially done so.

Representatives for the Armenian National Committee Western Region,
Armenian Youth Federation, Shant Student Assn., the Armenian Bar Assn.,
attorney Mark Geragos and others will discuss the implications of
the appellate court’s ruling and what lies ahead in the legal process.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress