On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 in favor of Havana Docks Corporation, reviving $440 million in judgments against major cruise lines under the Helms-Burton Act for trafficking in confiscated Cuban port facilities.
Colson Hicks Eidson served as lead trial counsel. The case was led by Roberto Martínez alongside Stephanie A. Casey, Zachary A. Lipshultz, Aziza F. Elayan, Thomas Kroeger, and Sabrina S. Saieh, reflecting the firm’s long-standing leadership in Cuba-related international property litigation.
Bob’s work in this area spans decades, beginning with Cuban American Bar Association v. Warren Christopher, a class action on behalf of more than 40,000 Cuban refugees detained at Guantanamo Naval Base, which earned the Voluntary Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award from the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
That work extended into the Brothers to the Rescue litigation, where Bob represented the families of the four victims killed when Cuban fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft—cases that helped shape the broader legal and political context for the Helms-Burton Act, including a landmark civil judgment against the Cuban government and recovery through frozen Cuban assets.
Bob and the firm also represented the family of Thomas Willard “Pete” Ray, a member of the Alabama Air National Guard, who was killed by Cuban militiamen on April 19, 1961, after surviving the crash of his B-26 bomber on a beach near Cuba’s Bay of Pigs, and the family of Robert Otis Fuller, an ex-U.S. Marine, who was killed by firing squad in October 1960 after he was tortured by having his blood drained from his body.
The firm’s legal work in these three civil cases resulted in judgments against the Cuban government in each case and the recovery of substantial assets for the families.
Today, that history is again in the national spotlight amid renewed attention to the 1996 shootdown and recent federal developments, including a Department of Justice indictment, involving the same acts of murder.
Against that backdrop, the Supreme Court’s ruling reinforces the continuing force of long-standing Cuba-related claims involving confiscated property and accountability.
Colson Hicks Eidson continues to lead in complex international property disputes, securing landmark results that underscore a consistent principle: true justice has no expiration date.
Media coverage includes:
The New York Times – Supreme Court Permits Lawsuit Over U.S. Assets Seized by Cuba in 1960
Miami Herald – U.S. indicts Raúl Castro for Cuba’s 1996 shoot-down of two civilian planes from Miami
Law360 – Justices Adopt Broad Reading Of Cuba Expropriation Law
About Colson Hicks Eidson
Colson Hicks Eidson is a renowned law firm based in Miami, Florida, that is recognized as one of the top trial firms in the United States. Built on a foundation of nearly 60 years of dedication forging strong client relationships, Colson Hicks Eidson handles local, national, and international litigation, with cases spanning from Miami, Florida, and throughout the United States, to matters in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Europe. Learn more at: www.colson.com.
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