US Defense Contractor Must Pay Former Iraqi Detainees $42 Million Over Abu Ghraib Torture: Jury

A Virginia jury on Nov. 12 awarded $42 million in damages to three Iraqi civilians who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, Iraq, more than two decades ago, after finding a U.S. defense contractor liable for its role in the abuse. The jury ordered CACI Premier Technology Inc. to pay each of the three plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa’ad Al-Zubae, $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages, amounting to $42 million in total. The verdict marked the first time a civilian contractor was held legally responsible for the torture at the prison. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2008 against the Virginia-based company on behalf of three men alleging they endured horrifying abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, roughly 20 miles west of Baghdad, between 2003 and 2004....