Judge dismisses lawsuit against AMP, principles

(WASHINGTON DC 08/22/2017) – A U.S. district court judge vindicated the American Muslims for Palestine last week after she granted the organization’s request to dismiss a $156-million lawsuit against it and two of its leaders. Her decision affirmed AMP’s mission to use education to raise awareness about Palestine. 

Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman on Friday threw out the lawsuit brought in May by Stanley and Sharon Boim, American citizens whose son was killed in Jerusalem in 1996. The Boims were seeking to recover the multi-million judgment resulting from their original complaint, filed in 2000, against other Palestinian rights and Muslim organizations unrelated to AMP. In their current complaint, the plaintiffs pointed to AMP’s mission to support their claim it was an ‘alter ego’ of those they sued and put out of operation years ago.

The judge disagreed. “To demonstrate continuity between the entities, plaintiffs [the Boims] point to a shared stated mission – ‘to educate people about Palestine,’” Coleman wrote in her judgement. “This alone does not suggest any nefarious intent or unlawful motive. To find otherwise would create a false inference that no legitimate humanitarian organization could ever be created with that mission.”

“Our hearts go out to the Boim family for the tragic loss of their son, but we’re gratified to see the judge recognizes it’s not legitimate to hold all Palestinian and Muslim organizations in the United States accountable for actions overseas,” said Dr. Hatem Bazian, AMP chairman. “Judge Coleman's decision vindicates AMP."

The judge granted AMP’s motion to dismiss because she said the Boims lacked “subject matter jurisdiction.” In other words, the lawsuit was a specious one with absolutely no grounds to link AMP to their son’s unfortunate 1996 death in Jerusalem. “In their effort to find a collectible defendant and to prevent their previous victory from being a pyrrhic one, plaintiffs are painting with overly broad strokes here,” she wrote.

“We're truly grateful to our legal team for their pro bono work, and all our supporters who stood with us during this time," Dr. Bazian said.

AMP was represented by the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, which is funded by the Muslim Legal Fund of America. See the full details of the case.