Terrorism suit dropped against Saudi Arabia

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11263/1176024-56.stm

Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Philadelphia attorney who this month sued Saudi Arabia and several individuals and institutions from the Middle Eastern kingdom, blaming them for making possible the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, withdrew the lawsuit Monday.

Stephen A. Cozen's motion to voluntarily dismiss his complaint provides no indication of the reason for the move. By dismissing without prejudice, the motion seeks to close the case without precluding its renewal. Typically, when a case is settled, it is dismissed with prejudice.

Mr. Cozen declined comment.

He had sued on behalf of a subsidiary of the British insurer Lloyd's of London, which said it paid out $215 million in relation to the attacks. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Johnstown, not far from the Flight 93 crash site in Stonycreek, Somerset County.

The 154-page complaint alleged that the defendants had long funded al-Qaida, knowing that the result would be a catastrophic attack against Western interests. The suit mirrored another that failed in federal court in New York and, subsequently, in appeals courts.