JURIST - Paper Chase: Ninth Circuit allows Nazi gold suit against Vatican Bank

[JURIST] The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals [court website] ruled Monday that claims against the Vatican Bank made by Eastern European survivors of the Holocaust should be heard in federal court. While Supreme Court decisions restrict the roles federal courts may assume in international matters, the Ninth Circuit ruling [PDF] upheld the suit in light of the need for a prompt resolution due to the advanced age of many of the plaintiffs, and because no other actions are pending in the dispute. The suit alleges that all or a portion of the treasury of the Nazi puppet regime in Croatia was disbursed to Catholic clergymen for transfer to Rome upon the collapse of the Nazi reign in Europe, and eventually found its way into the Vatican Bank's possession. A website for claims against the Vatican Bank has been set up by the plaintiffs. The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal has more.

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