Gerson to Discuss the Scope of the Alien Tort Statute on Sept. 10
Allan Gerson, who served as Senior Fellow for International Law and Organizations at the Council on Foreign Relations, will deliver a lecture at the Law School co-sponsored by the Human Rights and National Security Law Program and the George Taylor Ross Memorial Lecture Series. Entitled "Privatizing Justice: Representing the Victims of Terrorism and Human Rights Abuses," the talk will be presented on Wednesday, September 10 at 5 p.m. in Room 124 of the Law School. This event is free and open to the public. Gerson will discuss the scope of the Alien Tort Statute for addressing human rights violations and whether the ATS is allowing civil suits to encroach on the territory of diplomacy.
A well-known international law expert, Gerson brought the first suit against Libya on behalf of the Lockerbie victims and helped draft and pass the 1996 amendments to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which made foreign governments accountable for acts of terrorism to citizens. A co-author with Newsweek senior editor Jerry Adler on the book The Price of Terror: One bomb. One plane. 270 lives. The History-Making Struggle for Justice After Pan Am 103, Gerson is also the author of The Kirkpatrick Mission: Diplomacy Without Apology. He is the Chairman of AG International Law PLLC, which specializes in governmental accountability for gross human rights abuses and unlawful expropriation of property. He earned his doctorate at Yale University.
For more information, contact lawcom@wm.edu or call (757)221-1840.