PI: Former Philly restaurant server ordered to pay $84M for massacre of 600 civilians during Liberian civil war

[China]

Former Philly restaurant server ordered to pay $84M for massacre of 600 civilians during Liberian civil war

 

A former server at a Philadelphia restaurant has been ordered to pay $84 million in damages to four citizens of Liberia for leading a massacre that resulted in the deaths of more than 600 civilians seeking sanctuary in a church during the West African nation’s first civil war.

 

The historic civil judgment, handed down last week by a federal magistrate judge in Philadelphia, is the latest in a series of court actions that seek to hold accountable accused Liberian war criminals, several of whom resettled in Southeastern Pennsylvania as refugees in the ‘90s and early 2000s.

 

Moses Thomas, 68, was working at the now closed Southwest Philadelphia dining spot Klade’s when he was first identified in a 2018 lawsuit as the military commander who led the 1990 slaughter at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia — an episode that the U.S. State Department has identified as one of the “worst single episodes” of the gruesome multi-factioned ethnic conflict that left more than 200,000 civilians dead between 1989 and 1997.

 

“Although no amount of damages will provide adequate redress for what [the victims] have suffered,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne A. Sitarski wrote in her Aug. 16 order, “a substantial award could have some deterrent effect on future would-be human rights abusers.”

 

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[CobraCommander]

Holly crap that’s terrible. After reading that article I will not be messing with any older Liberian men from the Philadelphia region. 

[Dan T.]

Eagles fan no doubt.

[tshile]

So it’s just a civil case? Nothing criminal?

 

Its hardly a punishment. He’s a refugee working as a waiter, he’ll never be able to pay that. I’m guessing there’s a wage garnishment thing but that’s only a portion 

 

just doesn’t really seem like a fitting punishment 

[Dan T.]

17 minutes ago, tshile said:

So it’s just a civil case? Nothing criminal?

 

Its hardly a punishment. He’s a refugee working as a waiter, he’ll never be able to pay that. I’m guessing there’s a wage garnishment thing but that’s only a portion 

 

just doesn’t really seem like a fitting punishment 

 

The article says he's not even in the U.S. any longer. He flew back to Liberia after being outed by the lawsuit.