U.S. court decision paves way for depositor case against Lebanese bank

A U.S. court of appeals determined this week that cases against Lebanese commercial banks can be tried outside Lebanon, according to a decision seen
by Reuters, paving the way for more cases by depositors seeking to unlock their frozen funds.
The court decision, issued on Dec. 15 in a case brought by Lebanese depositors against leading lender Bank Audi, overturned a lower district court’s decision that said Beirut courts had “exclusive jurisdiction” to try cases against Lebanese banks.
During Lebanon’s three-year financial collapse, banks have imposed tight controls on withdrawals in both U.S. dollars and the local currency, which has lost more than 90% of its value.
Those restrictions have yet to become law and have been challenged in both local and international courts by savers who have sought to gain back their money promptly in U.S. dollars, with mixed results.
The Raad family filed a lawsuit in New York in December 2020, saying Bank Audi had breached their contract by refusing to transfer their funds abroad at the beginning of the financial crisis, according to the court document.
A district court dismissed their claim on the reasoning that such cases should only be heard by Lebanese courts.