Cleveland, OH - Man In U.S. Facing Deportation For Nazi Past Loses Lawsuit
Cleveland, OH - A jury awarded damages to a retired travel agent who claimed he helped a man facing deportation for his past at a Nazi death camp.
John Demjanjuk, who has appealed his deportation order, made a rare public appearance last week in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in a lawsuit filed in 2003 by Jerome Brentar.
The eight-person jury on Monday awarded Brentar $90,000-$18,000 from each of five defendants: Demjanjuk, 86; his wife, Vera, 80; son John Demjanjuk Jr.; former son-in-law Edward Nishnic and the Demjanjuk defense fund. Brentar had sought $2 million.
Defense lawyer Kenneth Boukis said Demjanjuk's defense fund hasn't existed for about 10 years and that much of the jury award likely is uncollectable. Boukis said the defendants hadn't decided whether to appeal.
Demjanjuk, who came to the U.S. in 1952 and worked for Ford Motor Co., lost his U.S. citizenship for a second time when a judge ruled in 2002 that documents from World War II prove he was a Nazi guard at various death or forced labor camps. Demjanjuk, who had been suspected of being a notoriously brutal guard known as Ivan the Terrible, faced a death sentence for crimes against humanity before the Israeli Supreme Court ordered him released in 1993 and allowed him to return to his home in the Cleveland suburb of Seven Hills, Ohio. When the Justice Department renewed its case, it no longer identified him as Ivan the Terrible, but as a Nazi guard.
Brentar, 83, argued he provided money and logistical support, such as arranging for Demjanjuk's defense team to travel to and from Europe and Israel. Brentar, who worked with the International Refugee Organization in Germany during World War II, testified that Demjanjuk assured him in private meetings dating back to the early 1980s that he would eventually be repaid for his help.
John Demjanjuk, who has appealed his deportation order, made a rare public appearance last week in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in a lawsuit filed in 2003 by Jerome Brentar.
The eight-person jury on Monday awarded Brentar $90,000-$18,000 from each of five defendants: Demjanjuk, 86; his wife, Vera, 80; son John Demjanjuk Jr.; former son-in-law Edward Nishnic and the Demjanjuk defense fund. Brentar had sought $2 million.
Defense lawyer Kenneth Boukis said Demjanjuk's defense fund hasn't existed for about 10 years and that much of the jury award likely is uncollectable. Boukis said the defendants hadn't decided whether to appeal.
Demjanjuk, who came to the U.S. in 1952 and worked for Ford Motor Co., lost his U.S. citizenship for a second time when a judge ruled in 2002 that documents from World War II prove he was a Nazi guard at various death or forced labor camps. Demjanjuk, who had been suspected of being a notoriously brutal guard known as Ivan the Terrible, faced a death sentence for crimes against humanity before the Israeli Supreme Court ordered him released in 1993 and allowed him to return to his home in the Cleveland suburb of Seven Hills, Ohio. When the Justice Department renewed its case, it no longer identified him as Ivan the Terrible, but as a Nazi guard.
Brentar, 83, argued he provided money and logistical support, such as arranging for Demjanjuk's defense team to travel to and from Europe and Israel. Brentar, who worked with the International Refugee Organization in Germany during World War II, testified that Demjanjuk assured him in private meetings dating back to the early 1980s that he would eventually be repaid for his help.
posted by VOS IZ NEIAS @ 5/09/2006 03:48:00 PM
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