Englehardt v. Blanche

DOJ must give terrorism victims the $629M tobacco-sanctions windfall

DOJ must give terrorism victims the $629M tobacco-sanctions windfall

When British American Tobacco paid more than $629 million in criminal penalties for conspiracies tied to North Korea, the Justice Department put only a fraction into the fund for victims of state-sponsored terrorism. Two victims sued. On August 4, 2026, the D.C. Circuit (Judge Rao) reversed a ruling for DOJ and held that the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act requires the full proceeds to go into the Fund, sending the case back with instructions to rule for the victims.