CHICAGO, April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On
International Holocaust Remembrance
Day (April 16), Chicago law firm Much Shelist, along with
New York-based counsel, filed a
complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of Illinois on behalf of
the victims of French deportations during World War II and their
families. The suit, which includes a named plaintiff residing
in Lincolnshire, Ill., seeks to
hold the French national railway, Société Nationale des Chemins de
Fer Français (SNCF), accountable for the expropriation of property
and belongings confiscated from their families during the
deportations of more than 75,000 Jews and other "undesirables" from
France to Nazi concentration camps
from 1942 to 1944. The complaint also seeks restitution for
third-class train fares that were paid by the Nazis to the SNCF for
deportees.
The SNCF is a government-owned railway that is one of the 250
largest corporations in the world. SNCF conducts substantial
business in the state of Illinois
through its subsidiary Rail Europe, Inc., which maintains a
Rosemont-based customer service
facility.
"My grandparents were transported in SNCF cattle cars to their
deaths at Auschwitz in 1942, and their belongings were seized by
railroad officials," said plaintiff and Lincolnshire resident Karen Scalin. "No compensation has ever been
made to my family and the thousands of other victims of these
coercive acts."
Property seized during the deportations included cash,
securities, silver, gold, jewelry, works of art, musical
instruments and clothing, among other items. The plaintiffs
are bringing this action, both individually and on behalf of a
class including other Holocaust victims, their heirs and
beneficiaries, against SNCF for compensatory and punitive damages,
equitable disgorgement of profits and other relief specified in the
complaint.
"These seizures were a violation of international law and a
crime against humanity, and restitution is long overdue," said Much
Shelist attorney Steven P. Blonder,
who represents the plaintiffs.
Harriet Tamen, who also
represents the plaintiffs, described the continuing unfairness of
SNCF failing to make restitution: "It's a travesty that the
SNCF continues to operate profitably – including selling rail
tickets in the United States –
without being forced to compensate these families for their
irreparable losses."
The complaint further explains, "The taking of Property and the
charging of third-class train fares for victims being sent to their
deaths was an integral part of the genocide against the Jews during
the War, which is a war crime and a crime against humanity under
international law and the law of nations. International law
and the law of nations are enforceable in this Court. All
legal remedies of any nature in France permitting victims to seek redress
against SNCF have been exhausted."
About Much Shelist
Much Shelist is a full-service
business law firm based in Chicago, with an office in Irvine, CA. Founded in 1970, Much Shelist has
nearly 100 attorneys. The firm offers services in a wide range of
practice areas, including corporate law; mergers and acquisitions;
private equity; venture capital and emerging growth companies;
commercial finance; taxation and business planning; labor and
employment; employee benefits and executive compensation;
commercial real estate and construction; business litigation and
dispute resolution; insurance coverage and risk management;
intellectual property and technology; health care law; and wealth
transfer and succession planning. For more information, visit
www.muchshelist.com or follow the firm on Twitter at
@MuchShelistLaw.
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holocaust-victims-descendants-file-suit-against-french-railroad-company-300067634.html
SOURCE Much Shelist