In re: World War II Era Japanese Forced Labor
| Decision Date | 17 September 2001 |
| Docket Number | No. 00-3586.,No. 01-2592.,No. 99-5303.,No. 00-3242.,No. MDL-1347.,No. 99-5309.,No. 00-3752.,No. 00-2358.,MDL-1347.,99-5309.,99-5303.,00-3752.,00-3242.,00-3586.,00-2358.,01-2592. |
| Citation | 164 F.Supp.2d 1160 |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Northern District of California |
| Parties | In re WORLD WAR II ERA JAPANESE FORCED LABOR LITIGATION. This Document Relates To: Choe v. Nippon Steel Corp, et al., Kim v. Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., et al., Oh v. Mitsui & Co., Ltd., et al., Sin v. Mitsui & Co., Ltd., et al., Su v. Mitsubishi Corp., et al., Sung, et al. v. Mitsubishi Corp, et al., Ma v. Kajima Corp., et al. |
William S. Lerach, Frank J. Janecek, Elizabeth J. Arleo, Patrick W. Daniels, Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, San Diego, CA, John J. Bartko, William I. Edlund, Bartko Zankel Tarrant & Miller, San Francisco, CA, Albert H. Meyerhoff, Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Steve W. Berman, Jeffrey T. Sprung, Hagens Berman, P.S., Seattle, WA, Kevin P. Roddy, Hagens Berman LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Michael Goldstein, Law Offices of Michael Goldstein, Cardiff, CA, for World War II Era Japanese Forced Labor Litigation, Gloria Tyler Alfano, Shang-Ting Sung.
Daniel C. Girard, Anthony K. Lee, Gordon M. Fauth, Girard & Greene LLP, San Francisco, CA, Jay W. Eisenhofer, Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A., Wilmington, DE, for James O. King.
David S. Casey, Jr., Bonnie E Kane, Wendy M Behan, Herman Mathis Casey & Kitchens LLP, San Diego, CA, James W. Parkinson, Palm Desert, CA, Joe R Reeder, C Allen Foster, Greenberg Traurig, Washington, DC, Maury Herman, Russ M Herman, Leonard A Davis, David K Fox, Herman Middleton Casey & Kitchens LLP, New Orleans, LA, Ronald W Kleinman, Greenberg Traurig, Washington, DC, for Woodrow M. Hutchinson, Manuel A. Eneriz, Melody Solis, Harold W. Poole, Ernest Harold Liy, Robert C. Clark, Francis W., Clarence S. Kellogg, Harry Corre, Raymond Heimbuch, Vivian O. Johnson, William R. Lowe, Sam P. Buse, Alfred Berest, Edwin F. Lindros, Michael Bibin, J.S. Gray, Karl William Holt, Norman R. Matthews, Darrel D. Stark, Carmel Zipeto, Manuel A. Eneriz, Lester I. Tenney, Shirley M. Rubenstein, Julia E. Stevenson, Glen Leroy Bailey.
Scott W. Wellman, Wellman & Warren LLP, Irvine, CA, Robert A. Swift, Kohn Swift & Graf, Philadelphia, PA, Edward D. Fagan, Fagan & Associates, New York, NY, Scott R Warren, Wellman & Warren LLP Irvine, CA, Denis Sheils, Kohn Swift & Graf, PC, Philadelphia, PA, Michael Witti, Monchen (Bogenhausen), Germany, Henry Burstyner Glennen, Burstyner & CO, Melbourne, Australia, for Raymond Wheeler.
William S. Lerach, Frank J. Janecek, Elizabeth J. Arleo, Patrick W. Daniels, Milberg, Weiss, Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, San Diego, CA, Michael Rubin Altshuler, Berzon Nussbaum Rubin & Demain, San Francisco, CA, Howard D. Finkelstein, Finkelstein & Associates, San Diego, CA, Albert H. Meyerhoff, David R. Scott, Neil Rothstein, Scott & Scott, LLC, Colchester, CT, Jonathan W. Cuneo, Cuneo Law Group, P.C., Washington, DC, Steve W. Berman, Jeffrey T. Sprung, Hagens Berman, P.S., Seattle, WA, Henry H. Rossbacher, Rossbacher & Associates, Los Angeles, CA, Kevin P. Roddy, Hagens Berman, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Jeffrey R. Krinsk, Finkelstein & Krinsk, San Diego, CA, L. Thomas Galloway, Galloway & Associates, Boulder, CO, for Finnie B. Price.
Dennis Sheils, Robert A. Swift, Kohn Swift & Graf, PC, Philadelphia, PA, Michael Witti, Henry Burstyner, Scott W Wellman, Scott R Warren, Wellman & Warren, Laguna Hills, CA, Edward D Fagan, Fagan & Associates, Livingston, NJ, Brent A Granado, Wellman & Warren LLP, Laguna Hills, CA, for Frank A. Mente, Neville J. Booker.
Michael Witti, Henry Burstyner, Scott W Wellman, Scott R Warren, Wellman & Warren, Laguna Hills, CA, Robert A Swift, Kohn Swift & Graf, Philadelphia, PA, Edward D Fagan, Fagan & Associates, Livingston, NJ, for H. Joseph Terrence.
Daniel C. Lieb, Samuel Leib, for Garth Dunn.
Paul F. Doyle, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP, New York City, Sabina A. Helton, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Ruben Resus, Carlos Cadenilla.
Christopher B. Hockett, Rebecca M. Archer, David M. Balbanian, McCutchen Doyle Brown & Enerson, LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.
Nathan Lane, III, Joseph A. Meckes, Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Paceco Corp., Ishihara Corp. (U.S.A.), ISK Americas, Inc.
Robert A. Sacks, Sullivan & Cromwell, Los Angeles, CA, for Nippin Steel USA Inc., Nippon Steel Corp., Nippon Steel Trading Co., Ltd., Nippon Steel Trading America.
Arne D. Wagner, Tamu K. Sudduth, Kathleen V. Fisher, Phyllis A. Oscar, Morrison & Foerster, LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsubishi Intern. Corp.
John H. Beisner, Teresa E. Dawson, John F. Niblock, Benjamin R Jacewicz, Carrielyn D Guymon, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Washington, DC, for Mitsubishi Materials Corp., Mitsubishi Materials USA Corp.
Nathan M. Spatz, Barbara L Croutch, Michael J Finnegan, Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Bruce E.H. Johnson, Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle, WA, Martin L. Fineman, Davis Wright Tremaine, San Francisco, CA, Arthur W. Harrigan, Danielson Harrigan & Tollefson LLP, Seattle, WA, Richard R Holmquist, Danielson Harrigan & Tollefson LLP, Seattle, WA, for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.
Linda E. Shostak, Lloyd W. Aubry, Jr., Kathryn M Davis, Morrison & Foerster LLP, San Francisco, CA, for Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Ltd., IHI, Inc.
Shannon M. Hansen, Kirkland & Ellis, Los Angeles, CA, Thomas D. Yannucci, James F. Basile, Christopher Landau, Brant W. Bishop, Kirkland & Ellis, Washington, DC, for Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., Sumitomo Heavy Industries (USA), Inc.
Robert S. Mueller, III, U.S. Attorney's Office, San Francisco, CA, David J. Anderson, Vincent M. Garvey, Department of Justice, Civil Division, Washington, DC, David W. Ogden, U.S. Attorney's Office, Torts Branch - Civil Division, San Francisco, CA, Martha Rubio, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Div., Washington, DC, for U.S.
Peter I. Ostroff, Ronald L. Steiner, Mark E Haddad, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, Los Angeles, CA, for Nippon Sharyo Ltd., Nippon Sharyo U.S.A., Inc.
Douglas E. Mirell, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Joseph Geisman, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Matthew E. Digby, Heidi A Leider, Bingham Dana LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Japan Energy Corp.
Neil A.F. Popovic, Stephen V. Bomse, Rakesh K. Anand, Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, San Francisco, CA, for Showa Denko America, Inc.
Matthew E. Digby, Heidi Leider, Bingham Dana, Los Angeles, CA, for Mitsui Mining USA, Inc., Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.
Richard M. Frank, Louis Verdugo, Jr., CA Attorney General's Office, Oakland, CA, Bill Lockyer, CA Attorney General, Los Angeles, CA, Catherine Z Ysrael, Attorney
General, Los Angeles, CA, for People of State of California, amicus curiae.
The seven above-captioned cases are the only class actions remaining before the court in a set of consolidated cases in which World War II veterans forced to labor without compensation during World War II seek damages and other remedies from Japanese corporations or their successors in interest. These cases are brought by plaintiffs of Korean and Chinese descent. The other matters, which involved United States and Allied veterans, were previously dismissed because the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan waived all such claims. In re World War II Era Japanese Forced Labor Litigation, 114 FSupp2d 939, 942 (N.D.Cal.2000) (Order No 4); see also Order No. 9. Defendants seek dismissal of the present cases as well.
The Korean and Chinese plaintiffs assert essentially the same claims as the United States and Allied veterans. Their primary cause of action arises under a statute enacted by the California legislature in 1999, California Code of Civil Procedure § 354.6. The statute attempts to provide a cause of action for all individuals forced to labor without compensation by "the Nazi regime, its allies and sympathizers, or enterprises transacting business in any of the areas occupied by or under control of the [same regimes]" by extending the applicable statute of limitations to December 31, 2010. CalCCP § 354.6(a), (c). The crux of section 354.6 states:
Any Second World War slave labor victim, or heir of a Second World War slave labor victim, Second World War forced labor victim, or heir of a Second World War forced labor victim, may bring an action to recover compensation for labor performed as a Second World War slave labor victim or Second World War forced labor victim from any entity or successor in interest thereof, for whom that labor was performed, either directly or through a subsidiary or affiliate.
Id., subsection (b). The statute does not limit the cause of action to California residents. See id., subsection (a).
The Korean and Chinese plaintiffs also seek compensation and restitution under various other state laws, and two of the seven complaints assert violations of international law.
Defendants argue that these cases must be dismissed for several reasons. Most significantly, defendants contend that section 354.6 is unconstitutional as applied against them. Notice of Claim of Unconstitutionality (Doc # 243); DefBr (Doc # 210) at 19-21; DefSuppBr (Doc # 336) at 1; see also United States Statement of Interest (SOI) (Doc # 302) at 12-17. Defendants argue that application of the statute is unconstitutional because it infringes upon the federal government's exclusive power over foreign affairs and violates the Due Process clause of the Constitution.
Defendants also seek dismissal based on the following arguments: (1) the claims of these plaintiffs are barred by the applicable statute of limitations, (2) the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan and subsequent treaties entered by Japan with Korea and China combine to bar the claims, (3) the claims raise nonjusticiable political questions, (...
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