Helvenston v. Blackwater Security

Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security
CourtUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 25, 2011
Court membership
Judge sittingJames C. Fox
Keywords
Breach of contract, public policy, wrongful death

Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security was a lawsuit for wrongful death filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina by the families of the four contractors for Blackwater Security (since renamed Academi) killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush.[1] The families of the four men, led by Scott Helvenston's mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Donna Zovko, Jerry Zovko's mother, filed suit against Blackwater with lawyer Daniel Callahan on January 5, 2005. Blackwater countersued for $10 million in December 2006, claiming breach of contract provisions that forbade any suit against the company. In January 2011, judge James C. Fox dismissed the suit after no progress was made in court-ordered arbitration.[2][3]

  1. ^ Iraqis revoke license of Blackwater security company - International Herald Tribune
  2. ^ Baker, Mike, (Associated Press), "Blackwater Death Suit Tossed After Six Years", Washington Post, 26 January 2011, p. 4.
  3. ^ "Mothers Say Mistakes Led to Fallujah Tragedy". Primetime, ABC News. April 7, 2005.