Posted on 09/13/2010 10:37:33 AM PDT by pabianice
A lawsuit brought by a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner and four others that sought to hold Jeppesen Dataplan Inc responsible for aiding the CIA in flying them to secret interrogation sites was dismissed Wednesday by an appeals court. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco "reluctantly concluded" in a 6-5 vote that the possibility of exposing national security issues during trial superseded the complainants right to have their day in court. Jeppesen was described in a 2007 report as the CIA's aviation services provider. The complainants claim they were taken from the U.S. to foreign locations where they were brutally interrogated. Two of the men are currently being held abroad. The other three have been released without charges. The new ruling overturns a 2009 decision that reinstated the suit after it had been dismissed by a district court judge in 2008. The ACLU, which represents the men, plans to take their appeal to the Supreme Court (though a Supreme Court ruling was referenced in the 9th Circuit's opinion).
(Excerpt) Read more at avweb.com ...
I think it was the right decision for the wrong reason.
As a citizen, I don’t like the idea that a court might decide that the “possibility” of national security interests” being exposed, supercedes my right to a day in court. That’s so vague that it could come back and bite us.
The court should have said they were dismissing it because, that 1)these weren’t citizens. 2)They were non-uniformed enemy combatants, captured on the field of battle. and 3) that they weren’t released without charges. They were charged with being an enemy combatant when they were captured.
This would be the same as if a victim was kidnapped and then sued Garmin because the kidnapper used a Garmin GPS to find his way home.
Almost everybody uses Jeppesen products. It's not like they only sell products to the CIA. Next they will sue the manufacturers of the aircraft, and maybe the food vendors for the sodas and snacks consumed by the flight crew.
Frivolous only begins to describe the nature of this lawsuit. It should have never gotten this far.
Don't give them any ideas.
Almost everybody uses Jeppesen products.
I thought everybody who flew did. When I was a kid and wanted to be a pilot even I had one. I memorized the approaches for airports in any town I found interesting. Bad eyesight killed that career though.
I flew in the military (my final flight was last Friday) and even the government approach plates were changed a few years ago to look more like Jeppesen.
“Almost everybody uses Jeppesen products” Marine, Aircraft, Railroads, Trucking, you name it Jeppesen can help you track it, fly it, sail it or drive it. Their stuff is damn good.
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