Bersoum v. Aboteat
| Decision Date | 25 October 2021 |
| Docket Number | 20-cv-08013 (CM) |
| Citation | 568 F.Supp.3d 443 |
| Parties | Boshra Farid Youssef BERSOUM; Waheed Mankorios Michael Mankorios; Hani Gaber Ramzi Mahani; Melad Gaber Ramzi Mahani; Nashaat Bersoum Youssef Bersoum; Gerges Sedik Fahmi Megali; Abanob Makram Askander Botros; Melad Shauki Rashed Hana; Louka Younan Labib Tobia; Makarios Hamdi Mata Gerges; Mena Medhat Khamis Mata; Mata Younan Mata Gerges; Emad Ayad Kamel Gerges; Melad Ghaly Atia Ghaly; Emil Samir Basit Henin; Esaak Samir Ferez Gamel; Sherif Touab Nabil Aziz; Hani Andraous Nasif Hana; Sobhy Hamdi Fathy Gerges; Reda Esaak Mata Gerges; Youssef Gerges Naeem Sorial; Andraous Fayes Daniel Shehata; Younan Gerges Fekri Younan; Ashraf Salah Labib Bahr; Amgad Makar Zaki Kamel; Atef Nadi Habib Kamel; Nosehy Gabaiiah Zekry Kamel; Sami Ramzi Nashed Henin; Touab Nabil Aziz Henin; Botros Makram Abdou Estemalek; George Mahrous Adly Megali; Hani Romani Zekery Magali; Boulus Salah Shafik Karas; Reda Sabet Gali Ambarek; Nader Waheeb Hana Khalil; Alaa Said Abedallatif Husain; Ahmed Al Said Al Said Ibrahim; Kamal Mohamed Al Said Youssef; Hesham Mohamed Mahmoud Al Said; Ibrahim Shaouki Ibrahim Youssef; Adel Awadaiiah Eskander Ibrahim; Gamel Ibrahim Awad Asaad; Youssef Saad Eskander Hana; Gerges Rateb Youssef Ibrahim; Mosaad Ali Ahmed Farag; Ibrahim Eskander Nazzem Karam; Ahmed Shaaban Husain Ganab; Hani Said Abedellatif Hendi; Karam Samaan Ibrahim Awad; Alaa Gomaa Abdellatif Al Said; Adel Mostafa Ahmed Ameen; Mohamed Fouda Al Said Atallah; Shaaban Ramadan Mohamed Amar; Waal Mohamed Mahmoud Al Said; Said Abdelazeem Abdellatif Hendi; Abdelsalam Mohamed Mahmoud Alsaid; Emad Mohamed Abdallah Arafa; Gaber Ahmed Mohamed Youssef; Mahmoud Ramadan Esmaeel Al Said; Islam Sobhi Mokhtar Ibrahim; Alaa Masoud Ali Mousa; Ramadan Gomaa Adellatif Al Said; Fathi Mohamed Youssef Selim; Esmaeel Mohamed Ibrahim Mousa; Masoud Atia Mokhtar Ibrahim; Mahmoud Kamel Mohamed Nasar; Mohamed Tantawi Said Ali; Mohamed Dahy Abdelhamid Ahmed; Waleed M. Abdelmegid; Ahmed Mohammead Mahmoud; Shalaby Abdellatif Hossein; Mohammad Sobhy Mokhtar; Salah Hussein Ibrahim; Abdlrahman Mohammed Afifi; Elsaid Mohammad Abou Alkheir; Moataz Ahmed Alserag; Same Attia Ibrahim; Mohammad Abdelsamea Nassif; Ibrahim Soliman Haroun; Mohammad Elsaid Ibrahim; Sobhy Mohammad Ganab; Moatez Ahmed Fathy; Khaled Attia Saleh; Mohammad Abdallah Haroun; Abdallah Asem Soliman; Ahmed Mohammad Abdelbaset; Yasser Abdelealeem Mohammad; Mahmoud Farid Algazar; Amer Isameil Bakr; Yehia Said Mohammad; Ahmed Ashraf Ali; Yassin Mohammad Nassef; Mostafa Elsaid Alhossany; Aid Mokhtar Ibrahim; Mohammad Ali Sharabia; Khaled Alsaid Ibrahim; Salah Hasan Mohamed Ibrahim; Ibrahim Farag Akila Moftah; Nagy Ihab Hassan Mohamed; Gomaa Ebaid Mohamed Zedan; Samy Saad Mohamed Afify; Essam Adel Mohamed Hassan; Ahmed Gomma Ataia Abouarab; Hamdy Gomma Ataia Abouarab; Mohamed Moursy Abouarab; Ali Shaban Hosain Gannabl Mohamed Mohamed Hosain Gannab; Ahmed Mohamed Diaa Eldain Ayoub; Osama Mohamed Diaa Eldain Ayoub; Mohamed Reda Bedir; Mohamed Fathi Mohamed Elsayed; Tamer Hosain Elsayed Hosain; Mohamed Gaber Ahmed Yousef; Isalm Mohamed Mahmoud; Helmi Nazim Abdelhalim Karam; Reda Saad Mohamedl Mohamed Ahmed Hosain; Mohamed Ebrahim Saad; Walead Ahmed Hassan; Moustafa Ahmed Elkilany; Khaled Moustafa Fouda; Ahmed Sallah Attallah; Hesham Khaled Elsayed; Gouda Mohamed Abou Elamayem; Ahmed Abdelghany Mohamed; Hassan Adel Abdel Wahab Mersal; Haytham Kamel Moustafa; and Abdelrahman Elsayed Nasr Hassan, Plaintiffs, v. Mustafa T.A. ABOTEAT Fourth Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Authorities (Defense, Interior); Colonel Ahmed Abouzeid Al Mismari, Chief of Staff – Libyan National Army; Al-Mahdi Hassan Muftah Allabad, First Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Security Affairs; Fayez Al-Sarraj, Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya; and Ibrahim Omar Dabbashi, Ambassador of Libya to the United Nations, Defendants |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York |
Jeffrey A. Krawitz, Edward S. Shensky, Stark & Stark, Yardley, PA, Craig Scott Hilliard, Stark & Stark, P.C., Lawrenceville, NJ, for Plaintiff Boshra Farid Youssef Bersoum.
Jeffrey A. Krawitz, Edward S. Shensky, Stark & Stark, Yardley, PA, for Plaintiffs Waheed Mankorios Micha Mankorios, Hani Gaber Ramzi Mahani, Melad Gaber Ramzi Mahani, Nashaat Bersoum Youssef Bersoum, Gerges Sedik Fahmi Megali, Abanob Makram Askander Botros, Melad Shauki Rashed Hana, Louka Younan Labib Tobia, Makarios Hamdi Mata Gerges, Mena Medhat Khamis Mata, Mata Younan Mata Gerges, Emad Ayad Kamel Gerges, Melad Ghaly Atia Ghaly, Emil Samir Basit Henin, Esaak Samir Ferez Gamel, Sherif Touab Aziz, Hani Andraous Nasif Hana, Sobhy Hamdi Fathy Gerges, Reda Esaak Mata Gerges, Youssef Gerges Naeem Sorial, Andraous Fayes Daniel Shehata, Younan Gerges Fekri Younan, Salah Labib Ashraf Bahr, Amgad Makar Zaki Kamel, Atef Nadi Habib Kamel, Nosehy Gabaiiah Zekry Kamel, Sami Ramzi Nashed Henin, Touab Nabil Henin, Botros Makram Abdou Estemalek, George Mahrous Adly Megali, Hani Romani Zekery Magali, Reda Sabet Gali Ambarek, Nader Waheeb Khalil, Alaa Said Abedallat Husain, Ahmed Al said Al said Ibrahim, Kamal Mohamed Al said Youssef, Hesham Mohamed Mahmoud Al said, Ibrahim Shaouki Ibrahim Youssef, Adel Aw Adaiiah Eskande Ibrahim, Gamel Ibrahim Awad Asaad, Youssef Saad Eskander Hana, Gerges Rateb Ibrahim, Mosaad Ali Ahmed Farag, Ibrahim Eskander Nazzem Karam, Ahmed Shaaban Husain Ganab, Hani Said Abedellati Hendi, Karam Samaan Ibrahim Awad, Alaa Gomaa Al Said, Adel Mostafa Ahmed Ameen, Mohamed Fouda Al Atallah, Waal Mohamed Mahmoud Al Said, Said Abdelazeem Hendi, Abdelsalam Mohamed Mahmoud Alsaid, Emad Mohamed Abdalla Arafa, Gaber Ahmed Mohamed Youssef, Mahmoud Ramadan Esmaeel Al Said, Alaa Masoud Ali Mousa, Ramadan Gomaa Adellatif Al Said, Fathi Mohamed Youssef Selim, Esmaeel Mohamed Ibrahim Mousa, Masoud Atia Mokhtar Ibrahim, Mahmoud Kamel Mohamed Nasar, Mohamed Tantawi Said Ali, Mohamed Dahy Abdelhamid Ahmed, Ahmed Mohammead Mahmoud, Shalaby Abdellatif Hossein, Mohammad Sobhy Mokhtar, Salah Hussein Ibrahim, Abdlrahman Mohammed Afifi, Moataz Ahmed Alserag, Same Attia Ibrahim, Abdelsamea Abdelsamea Nassif, Mohammad Ibrahim Soliman Haroun, Mohammad Elsaid Ibrahim, Sobhy Mohammad Ganab, Moatez Ahmed; Fathy, Khaled Attia Saleh, Mohammad Abdallah Haroun, Abdallah Asem Soliman, Yasser Abdlealeem Mohammad, Mahmoud Farid Algazar, Amer Isameil Bakr, Yehia Said Mohammad, Ahmed Ashraf Ali, Yassin Mohammad Nassef, Mostafa Elsaid Alhossany, Aid Mokhtar Ibrahim, Mohammad Ali Sharabia, Khaled Alsaid Ibrahim, Salah Hasan Mohamed Ibrahim, Ibrahim Farag Akila Moftah, Nagy Ihab Hassan Mohamed, Gomaa Ebaid Zedan, Samy Saad Mohamed Afify, Essam Adel Mohamed Hassan, Ahmed Gomma Ataia Abouarab, Hamdy Gomma Ataia Abouarab, Mohamed Moursy Abouarab, Ali Shaban Hosain Gannab, Mohamed Mohamed Hosain Gannab, Ahmed Mohamed Diaa El Ayoub, Osama Mohamed Diaa El Ayoub, Mohamed Reda Bedir, Mohamed Fathi Elsayed, Tamer Hosain Hosain, Mohamed Gaber Yousef, Isalm Mohamed Mahmoud, Helmi Nazim Abdelhali Karam, Mohamed Ahmed Hosain, Mohamed Ebrahim Saad, Walead Ahmed Hassan, Moustafa Ahmed Elkilany, Khaled Moustafa Fouda, Ahmed Sallah Attallah, Hesham Khaled Elsayed, Gouda Mohamed Abou Elamayem, Ahmed Abdelghany Mohamed, Hassan Adel Abdelwahab Mersal, Haytham Kamel Moustafa, Abdelrahman Elsayed Nasr Hassan.
Jeffrey A. Krawitz, Edward S. Shensky, Michael C. Ksiazek, Stark & Stark, Yardley, PA, for Plaintiffs Boulus Salah Shafik Karas, Shaaban Ramadan Amar, Islam Sobhi Ibrahim, Waleed M. Abdelmegid, Elsaid Mohammad Alkheir, Ahmed Mohammad Abdelbaset, Reda Saad Mohamed.
DECISION AND ORDER DISMISSING PLAINTIFFS’ COMPLAINT SUA SPONTE
Plaintiffs, one hundred twenty-eight Egyptian citizens, bring this action for compensatory and punitive damages against Defendants, five Libyan officials, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants are jointly and severally responsible for the torture, extrajudicial detention and unlawful deportation of Plaintiffs in and from the sovereign State of Libya. The Complaint alleges that Defendants committed human rights violations under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 ( Pub. L. 102-256, H.R. 2092, 106 Stat. 73 (1992) (codified at 28 U.S.C. § 1350, note)) ("TVPA"); the Alien Tort Claims Act ( 28 U.S.C. § 1350 ) ("Alien Tort Statute" or "ATS"); and customary international law of human rights and the Law of Nations.
The court demanded that the Plaintiffs make some preliminary showing that it could exercise personal jurisdiction over each of the five named defendants. Plaintiffs contend that personal jurisdiction exists over Defendant Ibrahim Omar Dabbashi ("Dabbashi") because Dabbashi lives in New York, and has for many years, and because his tortious acts and omissions (principally the latter) were committed in New York. Plaintiffs also assert that they have validly served process on Dabbashi.
Plaintiffs make no showing whatever that any of the other four defendants -- Mustafa T.A. Aboteat, Colonel Ahmed Abouzeid Al Mismari, Al-Mahdi Hassan Muftah Allabad and Fayez Al-Sarraj -- is subject to the in personam jurisdiction of this court. However, they argue that the court should order jurisdictional discovery before taking any steps to dismiss the pleading.
No defendant has appeared in this action.
For the reasons set out below, Plaintiffs’ Complaint is DISMISSED sua sponte because none of the defendants is amenable to suit in New York – Dabbashi, ironically, the least of all, since he is cloaked with diplomatic immunity.
Plaintiffs are one hundred twenty-eight citizens of Egypt. (Compl. ¶ 5). Plaintiffs were legally residing and/or employed in Libya prior to the alleged human rights violations on the basis of which they seek damages. (Id. ). Each plaintiff earned a livelihood in Libya at the relevant time. (Compl. ¶ 6).
Defendant Mustafa T.A. Aboteat ("Aboteat") is a citizen of Libya currently residing in Al Bayda, Libya....
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