A law firm based in Washington, D.C. has won a judgment exceeding $20 million against the Syrian Arab Republic. This victory comes on behalf of Sam Goodwin, a native of St. Louis, who was detained in Syria’s infamous prison system for 63 days during his quest to visit every country around the globe.
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted Goodwin a total of $20,201,620 in damages, split nearly evenly between compensatory and punitive damages. This award stems from a lawsuit filed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act’s exception for “state sponsors of terrorism.”
Approximately half of this judgment may be paid from the U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund, which draws from sanctions proceeds and other collected penalties. The fund might provide Goodwin a portion of the compensatory damages over several years, based on its available resources.
Goodwin spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of the release of his book, “Saving Sam: The True Story of an American’s Disappearance in Syria and His Family’s Extraordinary Fight to Bring Him Home.” (Courtesy of Sam Goodwin)
His release was secured by General Abbas Ibrahim, then Lebanon’s top security official, who was put in contact with the family by Joseph Abbas, the uncle of Goodwin’s sister’s friend and former college roommate.
His family worked tirelessly to bring him home, collaborating with the FBI, CIA, State Department, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Vatican envoys, Middle East experts and others.
“This judgment is about far more than what happened to me. It’s a stand for anyone who has suffered human rights abuses around the world. I hope it gives other victims the courage to speak up and, above all, serves as a warning that such crimes will not be tolerated or forgotten,” Goodwin told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Sam Goodwin (left), Gen. Abbas Ibrahim (middle) and Joseph Abbas (right) meet in Lebanon. (Sam Goodwin)
Miller & Chevalier has secured other judgments against the Syrian Arab Republic, including one for approximately $50 million in 2023 for Kevin Dawes, another American citizen who was illegally arrested, imprisoned and tortured in Syria.
In July, it filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of Dr. Majd Kamalmaz, a psychotherapist and humanitarian who was detained at a government checkpoint in Damascus, Syria, in 2017, accusing the Syrian Arab Republic of abducting, torturing and killing him.
