Supreme Court Allows Afghanistan Veteran to Sue Military Contractor Over Bombing
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an Army specialist severely injured in a 2016 suicide bombing at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan can sue the military contractor who hired the bomber. The justices cleared the way for the soldier to proceed with a lawsuit against the contractor for failing to supervise the Afghan employee who carried out the attack.
The Supreme Court sided with an Army specialist who was gravely injured when a suicide bomber attacked the U.S. military base where he was stationed in Afghanistan in 2016.
The soldier is suing a military contractor, claiming the company failed to properly supervise the Afghan employee who carried out the bombing at Bagram Air Base. The contractor had hired the bomber as a local worker.
The case had been tied up in lower courts over whether the soldier had the legal right to sue a private military contractor. Government contractors often argue they should be protected from lawsuits because they were working for the U.S. military.
The Supreme Court's decision Wednesday removes that legal barrier and allows the lawsuit to move forward. The ruling could affect how military contractors screen and supervise local employees in war zones.
The case now returns to lower courts where the soldier will have to prove the contractor was actually negligent in its hiring and supervision practices.
This decision could open the door for other veterans to sue military contractors for war injuries. It also sets a precedent about when private companies working with the military can be held responsible for their employees' actions that harm U.S. troops.
The lawsuit returns to lower courts where the soldier must prove the contractor was negligent.
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