Agnieszka Fryszman, chair and founder of the Human Rights practice at Cohen Milstein, is recognized as leading one of the best private international human rights practices in the world.
Agnieszka has received some of the legal profession’s highest honors including the National Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s Human Trafficking Advocate of the Year Award, and by Lawdragon as a Lawdragon Legend, one of 500 Leading Lawyers in America, and in the Global Litigation 500. She was also named to Forbes Magazine 50 over 50 list as a changemaker who leaves the world better than she found it.
She represents individuals who have been victims of torture, human trafficking, forced and slave labor and other violations of international law. An expert and leader in the field of human rights law, Agnieszka regularly litigates cases against corporate giants and foreign powers. Her work includes:
- Holocaust-era atrocities: Agnieszka was a member of the legal team that successfully represented survivors of Nazi-era forced and slave labor against the German and Austrian companies that allegedly profited from their labor. These cases were resolved by international negotiations that resulted in multi-billion-dollar settlements.
- Human Trafficking and Forced Labor: Agnieszka filed one of the first claims under the federal human trafficking statute (the TVPRA) and has continued to focus on representing survivors of human trafficking and forced labor. She has represented workers trapped in supply chain forced labor as well as men and women trafficked by military contractors, in the fishing industry, and to work cleaning houses in Northern Virginia.
- Military contractors: Agnieszka earned the National Law Journal Pro Bono Award for her efforts on behalf of Nepali laborers killed at U.S. military bases in Iraq. She represented the families of twelve Nepali men and five additional surviving Nepali men who were lured to Jordan with the false promise of well-paying hotel jobs, but instead their passports were confiscated, they were imprisoned and taken against their will to a U.S. military base in Iraq, where they were put to work for U.S. military subcontractors during the Iraq war. Twelve of the men were killed by insurgents. The claims were ultimately resolved, including under innovative proceedings pursuant to the Defense Base Act. This case received international attention and is the focus of the book, The Girl from Kathmandu | Twelve Dead Men and a Woman’s Quest for Justice, by Cam Simpson (HarperCollins, 2018).
- Deep Sea Fishing Industry: Agnieszka filed and settled the first successfully resolved case of fishing boat slavery in the world. She represented two Indonesian men who escaped from a fishing boat when it docked in California. The settlement included provisions intended to protect future seamen, including a code of conduct for ship captains and a hand-out for seamen informing them of their rights and who to call for help.
- Comfort Women: Agnieszka’s work on behalf of former “comfort women,” women and girls trafficked into sexual slavery by the government of Japan during World War II, was recognized with the “Fierce Sister” award from the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
- Victims of 9/11: Agnieszka represented, pro bono, victims of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon and obtained one of the highest awards for an injured survivor from the Victim’s Compensation Fund.
- Guantanamo Bay Detention: Agnieszka represented, pro bono, two individuals detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay who were ultimately cleared without charge.
For her pro bono work, she has been awarded the National Law Journal Pro Bono Award, the Beacon of Justice Award by the National Legal Aid and Defender and the Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award from the Southern Center for Human Rights. She was also a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for her work on Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Shell. Agnieszka joined the legal team in that case to prepare it for trial, resulting in a multi-million-dollar settlement on the morning of jury selection.
- Adjunct Professor, American University School of Law
- Counsel, Representative Henry Waxman, Ranking Member, House Government Reform & Oversight Committee (1997-1998)
- Counsel, Subcommittee on Commercial & Administrative Law, U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary (1995-1997)
- Legislative Director, U.S. Representative (now Senator) Jack Reed (1991-1995)
- Advisor, American Law Institute Fourth Restatement, Foreign Relations Law of the United States
- Board Member, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante
- ABA, Member Immigration and Human Trafficking Committee
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Public Interest Law Scholar, 1996
- Brown University, A.B.
Current Cases
Ratha, et al v. Phatthana Seafood Co
Ratha, et al v. Phatthana Seafood Co. (C.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein is representing seven Cambodian plaintiffs in a cross-border human rights lawsuit involving human trafficking, forced labor, involuntary servitude, and peonage by factories in Thailand that produce shrimp and seafood for export to the United States.
Kasim Kurd, et al. v. The Republic of Turkey
Kurd v. The Republic of Turkey (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represents fifteen people, including a seven-year-old girl with her father, a mother pushing a four-year-old in a stroller, students, and local small business owners, who had gathered at Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C., to peacefully protest the Erdogan regime’s treatment of its Kurdish community. They were brutally attacked by President Erdogan’s security detail, who pushed past a line of law enforcement officers to kick, stomp and bludgeon the demonstrators. The attack was captured on video, resulted in criminal indictments, and was condemned by the United States Congress. The Republic of Turkey claimed it was immune from suit, but the district court disagreed. Agnieszka Fryszman successfully argued the case at the Court of Appeals, obtaining a unanimous opinion holding that Turkey was not entitled to sovereign immunity for the attack.
In re Chiquita Brands International Inc. Litigation
In re Chiquita Brands International Inc. Litigation (S.D. Fla.): Cohen Milstein represents hundreds of Colombian citizens who allege that they or their family members were victims of torture or extrajudicial killing committed by the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary group designated by the United States government as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” during armed conflict in Colombia in the 1990s and early 2000s. Plaintiffs allege that the deaths of their relatives were a direct and foreseeable result of Chiquita’s financial support of the AUC. The case is proceeding under Colombian law against Chiquita and under the U.S. Torture Victim Protection Act against individual Chiquita executives and board members. On June 10, 2024, after a six-week bellwether jury trial, the jury found Chiquita responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight men who were murdered by AUC and awarded the surviving family members $38.3 million in damages for their deaths.
Baxter, et. al. v. Church of Scientology International
Baxter, et. al. v. Church of Scientology International (M.D. Fla.): Cohen Milstein represents plaintiffs in a human trafficking and forced labor lawsuit against David Miscavige; Church of Scientology International; Religious Technology Center, Inc.; International Association of Scientologists Administrations, Inc.; Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc.; and Church of Scientology Flag Ship Service Organization, Inc., for violations of the United States Code Chapter 77 of Title 18 and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
Past Cases
Adhikari v. KBR Inc.
Adhikari v. KBR Inc. (Adhikari I & Adhikari II) (S.D. Tex.): Cohen Milstein represented the families of twelve Nepali men and five additional surviving Nepali men who were lured from remote villages in Nepal to Jordan with the promise of well-paying hotel jobs. Instead of the promised jobs, their passports were confiscated, they were imprisoned, and then taken against their will to Iraq. Twelve of the men were killed by insurgents. The surviving men arrived at U.S. military bases in Iraq and were put to work for U.S. military contractors and subcontractors in the mess hall, stocking warehouses, and collecting garbage.
ExxonMobil -Villagers of Aceh Litigation
John Doe I v. ExxonMobil Corporation (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represented eleven villagers from Aceh, Indonesia, who alleged that they or their relatives endured horrific human rights abuses, including murder, torture, sexual violence, and kidnapping, at the hands of Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil to guard its oil operations in the region. On May 15, 2023, a week before a jury trial was to start and after 22 years of litigation, the case settled. Although the case was litigated in U.S. federal court, Indonesian law applied to Plaintiffs’ claims and was applied by the court. The case set numerous legal precedents during its 20-year history, during which it saw two trips to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals (decided January 2007 and July 2011) and one to the Supreme Court (certiorari was denied in 2008). Each time, novel issues of foreign policy impact, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and choice of law were briefed and considered by the Court of Appeals. In August 2022, months before trial, the district court largely denied ExxonMobil’s motion for summary judgment, finding most of its arguments “entirely meritless.” Cohen Milstein and co-counsel were awarded the 2024 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for the successful resolution of this case.
Paul Rusesabagina, et al. v. The Republic of Rwanda, et al.
Paul Rusesabagina, et al. v. The Republic of Rwanda, et al. (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represented U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Paul Rusesabagina and his family against the Republic of Rwanda, the President of Rwanda and other members of the government for allegedly kidnapping Mr. Rusesabagina and taking him back to Rwanda, where he was imprisoned, tortured and subjected to a sham trial. Mr. Rusesabagina is perhaps best known for saving thousands of lives during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, a story that inspired the Academy Award-nominated film, Hotel Rwanda. On March 16, 2023, the court held that three Rwandan officials must face plaintiffs' claims. A week later, after negotiations with the White House, Rwanda released Mr. Rusesabagina and, after two-and-a-half years in captivity, he returned home to the United States.
Sorihin and Abdul Fatah v. Thoai Van Nguyen dba Sea Queen II
Sorihin and Abdul Fatah v. Thoai Van Nguyen dba Sea Queen II (N.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein filed and successfully settled the first-ever human trafficking lawsuit against the U.S. commercial fishing industry under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and the Alien Tort Statute. The firm represented two Indonesian men who escaped from the Sea Queen II fishing boat, a U.S. commercial fishing vessel, when it docked in San Francisco, California. The men were allegedly subjected to human trafficking and forced labor on the vessel in the Pacific Ocean. The precedential settlement included provisions intended to protect future seamen, including a code of conduct for ship captains and a hand-out for seamen informing them of their rights and who to call for help.
Amicus Briefs
Nestle v. Doe and Cargill v. Doe
Nestle USA, Inc. v John Doe I, et al. (No. 19-416) and Cargill, Inc. v. Doe I, et al. (No. 19-453): On October 21, 2020, Cohen Milstein, the Human Trafficking Legal Centers, and Open Society Policy Center submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of senior members of Congress, as Amici Curiae, in support of respondents in Nestle USA, Inc. v John Doe I, et al. (No. 19-416) and Cargill, Inc. v. Doe I, et al. (No. 19-453).
Conflict Minerals
National Association of Manufacturers, et al. v. Securities and Exchange Commission, et al.: Cohen Milstein represented current and former members of Congress as amicus curiae in the conflict minerals litigation, National Association of Manufacturers, et al. v. Securities and Exchange Commission, et al., No. 12-1422, before the D.C. Circuit and the district court.
- Public Justice, Winner, Trial Lawyer of the Year – John Doe I v. ExxonMobil Corp. (2024)
- The National Law Journal, Elite Trial Lawyers Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
- Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers (2024)
- Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact (2023)
- Human Trafficking Legal Center, Advocate of the Year (2020)
- Lawdragon Legend (2019)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2016, 2018-2024)
- Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 (2021, 2023, 2024)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2019-2023)
- National Law Journal, Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar (2019)
- National Law Journal Pro Bono Hot List (2019)
- Public Justice, Finalist, Trial Lawyer of the Year – Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Shell (2012)
- National Legal Aid and Defender Association, Beacon of Justice Award (2007)
- Southern Center for Human Rights, Frederick Douglass Award (2007)
- America Nepal Friendship Society, Friendship Award for “outstanding contribution to the protection of the human rights and freedom of Nepali citizens”
- Certificate of Appreciation from the United States Ambassador to Nepal
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Fierce Sister Award (2006)
- “Leading Star” Plaintiffs’ Litigator
- Benchmark Top 150 Women in Litigation
- Super Lawyers (2012 – 2020, 2023 – 2024)
September 25, 2024
Dems Urge Full 9th Circ. to Rethink Worker’s Trafficking Loss
Democratic lawmakers urged the en banc Ninth Circuit to rethink a split decision tossing Cambodian workers’ human trafficking suit against a California importer, arguing Congress specifically amended the federal law following another erroneous Ninth Circuit ruling in the case, and the majority’s refusal to apply those amendments retroactively undermines congressional authority. In a 21-page amicus […]
In the News | Law360
July 31, 2024
Jury Says Chiquita Liable for Murders of Colombian Terror Victims – Must Pay $38.3 Million
By Kate Fitzgerald, Snr. Marketing Communications Manager On June 10, a South Florida jury found Chiquita Brands International responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight men murdered by Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), and awarded their surviving family members $38.3 million in the first in a series of bellwether trials against the multinational. The plaintiffs […]
Articles | Shareholder Advocate Summer 2024
July 30, 2024
Public Justice Announces Winner of 2024 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award
Each year, Public Justice is proud to present its Trial Lawyer of the Year Award to the trial attorney or legal team who made the greatest contribution to the public interest within the past year by trying or settling a socially significant case. This year’s winner is the legal team for John Doe I v. […]
In the News | Public Justice
June 14, 2024
In re Chiquita Brands International Inc. Litigation Team Recognized as Legal Lions Of The Week
Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA, EarthRights International, Conrad & Scherer LLP, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, International Rights Advocates and several individual attorneys triumphed June 10 after a Florida federal jury ordered Chiquita to pay $38.3 million over its funding of right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia’s banana-producing region. The jury ordered the company […]
In the News | Law360
June 12, 2024
Chiquita’s $38.3 Million Verdict Jolts Human Rights Litigation
A landmark $38.3 million jury verdict against Chiquita—the first in an American court to hold a US corporation liable over international human rights violations—raises the specter of billions of dollars in liability for the company and a broader warning for global business titans, attorneys for the plaintiffs say. “It shows US courts remain open to […]
In the News | Bloomberg Law
June 11, 2024
Chiquita Held Liable for Deaths During Colombian Civil War
A South Florida jury found the company liable for killings committed by a paramilitary group that was on the banana producer’s payroll. The jury on Monday ordered the multinational banana producer to pay $38.3 million to 16 family members of farmers and other civilians who were killed in separate episodes by the United Self-Defense Forces […]
In the News | The New York Times
June 11, 2024
Banana Giant Held Liable for Funding Paramilitaries
A court in the United States has found multinational fruit company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing a Colombian paramilitary group. The group, the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation at the time. The AUC engaged in widespread human rights abuses, including murdering people it suspected […]
In the News | BBC
June 10, 2024
Jury Verdict Reached: Chiquita Liable for Murders of Colombian Terror Victims – Must Pay $38.3 Million
Six-week jury trial is the first of a series of bellwether trials in 16-year wrongful death lawsuit. In 2007, Chiquita pled guilty to a federal crime arising out of its payments to the terror group responsible for the murders. WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Today, a South Florida jury found Chiquita Brands International responsible for […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
April 30, 2024
Chiquita Capitalized On Colombian War, Victims’ Families Say
Attorneys representing the families of 10 men killed during Colombia’s civil war told a Florida federal jury Tuesday that the Chiquita banana company is liable for their deaths, saying it knowingly funded a right-wing narcoterrorist group that committed atrocities against its workers as the fruit corporation expanded its business. . . . The trial is […]
In the News | Law360
December 15, 2023
Agnieszka Fryszman: Championing Victims Against Powerful Corporations
Agnieszka Fryszman (L’96), a partner at Cohen, Milstein, Sellers & Toll, is one of the world’s leading human rights lawyers against corporate abuse. As founder and chair of the firm’s Human Rights practice group, Agnieszka champions the rights of victims of injustice and abuse against corporate giants and foreign powers. Throughout her legal career, she […]
In the News | Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute
November 2, 2023
Agnieszka Fryszman on Holding U.S. Companies Accountable for Human Rights Violations Across Borders
Agnieszka Fryszman talks about difficulties in holding companies to account between the US and other jurisdictions, levelling the playing field between victims and perpetrators, and how aspiring lawyers can balance work in corporate law with representing victims of human rights abuses, modern slavery, and other violations of liberty.
Multimedia | The Legal 500
October 10, 2023
McDonald’s and Chuck E Cheese Tied to Alleged Foreign Worker Exploitation
Workers contracted to work for western brands in Saudi Arabia have described conditions as ‘like jail’ Over the years the world’s most powerful fast-food chain, McDonald’s, has twice honored a Saudi prince’s business empire with its highest accolade for its franchisees: the Golden Arch award. Prince Mishaal bin Khalid al-Saud – who controls more than […]
In the News | The Guardian
August 3, 2023
Cohen Milstein Human Rights Practice Chair on Career Trajectory, Court Access and Crafting a Practice
“We need to keep pushing to ensure that people who’ve gotten ensnared in human trafficking or have been victims of human rights atrocities have access to justice. If it’s an American company, they ought to be able to sue in our own courts.” The National Law Journal has launched a profile series of plaintiff bar […]
In the News | The National Law Journal
July 10, 2023
This D.C. Hockey Mom Stares Down Torturers, Despots, Human Traffickers
Agnieszka Fryszman, camera-shy and averse to attention, is among the most feared and celebrated human rights lawyers in the world In fourth grade, her teacher asked the class to draw pictures of what they were going to be when they grew up. There were firefighters, police officers, ballerinas. Fast, informative and written just for locals. […]
In the News | The Washington Post
May 16, 2023
Oil Giant ExxonMobil Settles Long-Running Indonesia Torture Case
ExxonMobil has settled a long-running lawsuit brought by villagers who alleged soldiers the oil giant hired to guard a natural gas facility in the Indonesian province of Aceh committed murder and torture. The two sides agreed to resolve “all matters”, according to a joint filing on Monday. Agnieszka Fryszman, a lawyer for the villagers, said […]
In the News | Al Jazeera
May 15, 2023
Acehnese Villagers Get Compensation from ExxonMobil for Lawsuits Against Torture by Hired Indonesian Soldiers
Eleven Acehnese villagers who admit they or their families experienced horrific violence more than 20 years ago have received financial compensation from ExxonMobil ahead of a human rights trial due to begin later this month. In a case filed for lawsuit in 2001 in the Washington DC District Court, United States of America, 11 residents […]
In the News | BBC News Indonesia
May 15, 2023
ExxonMobil Settles Indonesians’ Long-Running Abuse Suit
Agreement resolves 22-year-old case ahead of trial this month Exxon Mobil has reached a settlement with Indonesian villagers who sued the oil giant more than 20 years ago for alleged human-rights abuses by contract soldiers hired to guard the company’s operations in Aceh province. The settlement, announced in a court filing Monday, comes ahead of […]
In the News | The Wall Street Journal
May 15, 2023
Indonesian Villagers Achieve Settlement from ExxonMobil on Eve of Human Rights Trial and After Two Decades of Litigation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com Indonesian Villagers Achieve Settlement from ExxonMobil on Eve of Human Rights Trial and After Two Decades of Litigation In an August 2022 Decision on the Motion for Summary Judgment, the Court Ruled that the Majority of ExxonMobil’s Arguments were “Entirely Meritless” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eleven villagers who alleged that they […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
May 15, 2023
ExxonMobil Settles Decades-Old Torture Case with Indonesian Villagers
Eleven Indonesian villagers from Aceh province have reached a confidential financial settlement with oil giant ExxonMobil. The villagers have been at the centre of a two-decade long legal battle over alleged human rights abuses. They say they endured torture, sexual assault, and beatings by Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil. . . . A trial was […]
In the News | BBC
May 5, 2023
Agnieszka Fryszman Speaks on The Long Arm of the Law: Extra-Territorial Application of Labor and Employment Law
Tel Aviv, Israel Ms. Fryszman’s panel topic was The Long Arm of the Law: Extra-Territorial Application of Labor and Employment Law: Multinational employers and unions face particular challenges in reconciling the dictates of labor and employment laws across borders. In this program, speakers will consider case studies including professional sports leagues in North America and also in […]
Events | ABA International Labor & Employment Committee Meeting
April 25, 2023
Activist Paul Rusesabagina, Represented by Cohen Milstein in U.S. Lawsuit, Freed by Rwandan Government
By Kate Fitzgerald The government of Rwanda announced on March 24 via The New York Times that Paul Rusesabagina, famed “Hotel Rwanda” human rights activist, political dissident, and winner of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, had been released from prison after two and a half years. His release came amid U.S. government negotiations and […]
Articles | Shareholder Advocate Spring 2023
April 3, 2023
How the U.S., Family and Hollywood Freed the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero
Paul Rusesabagina, depicted in the 2004 film about genocide in his country, was reunited with his family last week. It took years of pressure to get him out of Rwanda, where he was convicted on terrorism charges. Rwanda’s leader was in combative form last December when, on a visit to Washington, he was asked about […]
In the News | The New York Times
March 20, 2023
Chiquita Human Rights Suit Set For Trial in Florida Federal Court
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra of the Southern District of Florida ordered the banana company to stand trial in January 2024 for allegedly financing paramilitary death squads in Colombia. Seventeen families suing U.S.-based banana grower Chiquita Brands International for its alleged role in funding paramilitary death squads in Colombia will get their day in court […]
In the News | Daily Business Review
December 15, 2022
Chiquita Trims Terror-Funding MDL, Must Face Some Claims
A Florida federal judge ruled Thursday that banana grower Chiquita Brands International Inc. need not face certain claims over its financial support for a defunct Colombian paramilitary group, finding no evidence that the relatives of some plaintiffs were killed by that organization. The decision, which U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra issued in a 105-page […]
In the News | Law360
November 17, 2022
Scientology Workers Signed Contracts Under Duress, Their Lawyers Say
The church disputes that, and now a federal judge will decide if allegations of abuse will be heard by a panel of loyal Scientologists, not the courts. Before Gawain and Laura Baxter could leave their posts as workers aboard the Church of Scientology’s religious ship in the Caribbean in 2012, the couple said they had […]
In the News | Tampa Bay Times
October 31, 2022
Supreme Court Rejects Turkey’s Bid to Stop US Brawl Lawsuits
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Turkey’s bid to shut down lawsuits in U.S. courts stemming from a violent brawl outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington more than five years ago that left anti-government protesters badly beaten. The justices did not comment in turning away Turkey’s arguments that American law shields foreign […]
In the News | AP News
October 31, 2022
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Turkey’s Appeal on Foreign Sovereign Immunity
Attack Victims of Pres. Erdoğan’s Security Detail Will Have Their Day in Court WASHINGTON DC – Today, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the Republic of Turkey’s petition to review the unanimous July 27, 2021 opinion of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which upheld the district […]
Press Releases
September 13, 2022
Human Rights Suit Against Chiquita Brands to Proceed
Families suing banana grower Chiquita Brands International for its alleged role in funding paramilitary death squads in Colombia will be able to proceed with their case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta last week unanimously reversed a Florida district court summary judgment and reinstated the historic claims. U.S. District […]
In the News | Daily Business Review
September 7, 2022
11th Circ. Revives Bellwether Cases in Chiquita Murder MDL
The Eleventh Circuit has revived a bunch of bellwether cases in a massive multidistrict litigation alleging Chiquita Brands International funded a Colombian paramilitary group that killed thousands of people, ruling on Tuesday that a Florida district court wrongly precluded the cases from going to trial. In a 104-page unanimous published opinion, the court reversed much of a summary judgment […]
In the News | Law360
September 7, 2022
Federal Appeals Court Resurrects Major Lawsuit Against Chiquita for Funding Colombian Terrorist Organization
A federal appellate court resurrected a major lawsuit Tuesday against banana company Chiquita Brands International for allegedly supporting a Colombian terrorist group that kidnapped, tortured, and murdered plaintiffs’ family members during a civil war. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found that the trial court “got some right and […]
In the News | Law & Crime
September 6, 2022
Appellate Court Revives Human Rights Case Against Chiquita
The decision overturns a lower court ruling and reinstates claims against Chiquita in a historic lawsuit over the company’s role in funding paramilitary groups in Colombia. Atlanta, Ga.–Today, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that several families suing Chiquita Brands International for its role in funding paramilitary death squads in Colombia can proceed toward […]
In the News
August 5, 2022
ExxonMobil Bid to End Indonesia Lawsuit Found ‘Meritless’
US judge dismisses oil and gas giant’s arguments for avoiding trial over alleged human rights abuses in Indonesia. A United States judge cleared the way for 11 Indonesian villagers to sue ExxonMobil for alleged human rights abuses after finding the majority of the gas and oil giant’s arguments to be “entirely meritless”. In a searing […]
In the News | Al Jazeera
August 3, 2022
Confessions of Victims of Alleged Human Rights Violations by ExxonMobil and Military Personnel in Aceh Revealed After 20 Years
For the first time after 20 years of legal proceedings, the Washington DC District Court, United States, issued a document to the public revealing the testimonies of victims of alleged human rights violations allegedly committed by the ExxonMobil company in Aceh by hiring a number of Indonesian military personnel. Judge Royce C. Lambert, Tuesday (02/08), […]
In the News | BBC
August 2, 2022
Judge Allows Historic Human Rights Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil to Proceed to Trial
After 20 Years of Litigation, Victims’ Stories of Abuses by Security Forces Finally Told WASHINGTON DC – A federal judge today released a detailed and pointed 86-page opinion that largely denied ExxonMobil Corporation’s motion for summary judgment in a long-running human rights lawsuit, brought by eleven Indonesian citizens. This decision paves the way for trial […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
July 13, 2022
Your Tax Dollars Paid a Peace Corps Worker $258,000 — After He Killed a Woman
Peace Corps employee John Peterson was paid $258,000 while on leave and under investigation after killing a woman in a 2019 hit and run in Tanzania, records show. The Peace Corps paid the family of the woman Peterson killed just $13,000, despite a federal law that allows the agency to settle such claims for up […]
In the News | USA Today
January 30, 2022
How Ken Saro-Wiwa, Co-Martyrs Are Rebuilding Ogoniland from the Dead
$5m Kiisi Fund opens development scheme with focus on human capital. BB Fakae, other highly trusted citizens put in charge. Oniland is witnessing quiet revolution outside the ever-controversial schemes such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or the clean up exercise, but from the activities of its sons that died as martyrs led by […]
In the News | Business Day
January 24, 2022
What Does a Foreign Corporation Do if its Activities are Threatened by a Local Conflict? One Option Is Call In the Army.
“What does a foreign corporation do if it’s activities are threatened by a local conflict? One option is call in the army? Western oil companies have done that in places like Nigeria, Columbia, and elsewhere. But, when those local troops Injure or kill civilians, who bears the blame? This Is the central question in an […]
Multimedia | NPR’s The World
October 15, 2021
Food Aid Organization Asks Pentagon to Help Family Members, Staff, and Survivors of Kabul Drone Strike
Representatives of Nutrition & Education International Met with Pentagon Officials to Discuss the U.S. Drone Strike that Killed Their Employee Zemari Ahmadi and Nine of His Family Members in Kabul NEW YORK — Nutrition & Education International (NEI) had a meeting with the U.S. Department of Defense yesterday to discuss what the government can do […]
Press Releases
July 27, 2021
Unanimous Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds D.C. District Court
No Immunity for Republic of Turkey in Sheridan Circle Attack on Pro-Democracy and Ethnic Kurd Protestors. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C.: A unanimous panel of the District of Columbia Circuit court of Appeals agreed with the district court that Turkey is not entitled to foreign sovereign immunity for its attack on pro-democracy and ethnic Kurd […]
In the News
July 27, 2021
Appeals Court Rejects Turkey’s Attempt to Dismiss Suit in Attack on DC Protesters
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. rejected an attempt by the government of Turkey to dismiss a lawsuit by protesters who were violently attacked by Turkish security officers in May 2017 during a visit by — and within view of — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the nation’s capital. A three-judge panel of […]
In the News | The Hill
March 26, 2021
Agnieszka Fryszman to Speak at Harvard Law School on Combatting Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains
Agnieszka Fryszman will speak at Harvard Law School on March 26, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. Ms. Fryszman’s program, “Civil Litigation as a Tool to Combat Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains,” will address the potential of bringing civil lawsuits under the Trafficking Victim Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”) to combat labor trafficking and exploitation in global supply […]
Articles
February 26, 2021
Agnieszka Fryszman to Speak at UCLA Law’s International Human Rights and Corporate Accountability Symposium
Agnieszka Fryszman, chair of Cohen Milstein’s Human Rights practice group has been invited to Speak at the “International Human Rights and Corporate Accountability: Current and Future Challenges” symposium hosted by UCLA Law’s Promise Institute for Human Rights, the Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, and the Corporate Accountability Lab on February 26 – 27, […]
Events
February 7, 2021
Hawaii Longliners Take Action to Fight Poor Conditions and Human Trafficking
The Hawaii Longline Association says it has worked to improve the lives of foreign fishermen after reports about squalid conditions on some vessels. The Hawaii Longline Association says it welcomes the recommendations contained in two recent reports to Congress that outline ways the seafood industry can prevent labor abuse. The longliners, which primarily target tuna […]
In the News | Honolulu Civil Beat
February 8, 2020
US Court Dismisses Turkey’s Attempt to Shut Down Erdogan Bodyguard Attack Cases
Turkey claims it should have sovereign immunity from legal proceedings Attack in May 2017 left nine protesters injured during Erdogan’s visit to Washington LONDON: A US court has rejected a Turkish attempt to dismiss civil cases brought by protesters who were violently attacked in Washington by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security officers. The incident took place […]
In the News | Arab News
February 7, 2020
DC Court: Turkey Must Face Charges in Sheridan Circle Assault on Kurdish Protesters
A federal court in Washington, D.C., denied a request Thursday by Turkey to dismiss a civil suit by protesters who are seeking damages after they were violently beaten while demonstrating against the visit of the Turkish president to the Capitol in 2017. The court struck down Turkey’s argument that it is protected under the Foreign […]
In the News | The Hill
March 19, 2019
Judge’s Ruling Allows Protesters’ Suit Against Turkey Over DC Attack to Proceed
A federal judge ruled that portions of a lawsuit may proceed against three men for their alleged involvement in the beatings of protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in 2017. In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the suit filed by 15 mostly pro-Kurdish demonstrators, nearly all U.S. citizens and residents, may […]
In the News | The Washington Post
January 4, 2018
Foreign Fishermen Settle Human Trafficking Suit
A human trafficking lawsuit just settled between two Indonesian fishermen and an American boat owner will not impact nearly 800 other foreign fishermen in Hawaii’s fleet who are banned from leaving boats when the vessels reach shore, industry officials say. The 130 commercial fishing boats based in Honolulu rely almost entirely on foreign crews from […]
In the News | Associated Press
January 3, 2018
Owner of U.S.-Based Fishing Vessel Agrees to Precedent-Setting Settlement Over Allegations of Human Trafficking, Abusive Labor Practices
After federal lawsuit alleged seamen were subjected to human trafficking and forced labor, ship’s owner agrees to new precedent-setting policies for informing workers of their rights under U.S. law SAN FRANCISCO – Two Indonesian men have settled their claims against an American fishing boat captain whom they allege subjected them to forced labor and human […]
In the News
April 10, 2014
Agnieszka Fryszman Speaks on Domestic Human Rights Enforcement After Kiobel
Washington, DC Ms. Fryszman spoke on the topic Domestic Human Rights Enforcement After Kiobel.
Events | American Society for International Law Annual Meeting
May 15, 2012
Agnieszka Fryszman to Speak on the Rule of Law Framework for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings
Warsaw, Poland Cohen Milstein Partner Agnieszka Fryszman spoke on the topic “Rule of Law Framework for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings,”
Events | Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
June 22, 2009
Agnieszka Fryszman Speaks at Congressional Briefing on Guantanamo
Agnieszka Fryszman is the chair and founder of the Human Rights practice at Cohen Milstein. She represents individuals who have been victims of torture, human trafficking, forced and slave labor and other violations of international law. Her work includes:
Events | U.S. Capitol