Letelier v. Republic of Chile

Citation

488 F. Supp. 665 (D.D.C. 1980)

Facts

Stub — to be completed.

Issue

Stub — to be completed.

Holding

Stub — to be completed.

Rule

Chile’s assassination of a former cabinet minister on U.S. soil was not a protected sovereign act under the FSIA; torture and assassination are not the “discretionary function” of a foreign state entitled to immunity, and the noncommercial tort exception applied because the act occurred in the United States.

Significance

Early FSIA case applying the noncommercial tort exception to terrorism; established that state-sponsored assassination on U.S. soil does not enjoy sovereign immunity.

Courses