Bartlett v. Baasiri

21-2019
Bartlett v. Baasiri
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Second Circuit
August Term, 2022
No. 21-2019
ROBERT BARTLETT, TERREL CHARLES BARTLETT, LINDA JONES , SHAWN
BARTLETT, MAXINE E. CROCKETT, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF RICKY LEON CROCKETT, MARVISE L. CROCKETT, TRACIE
ARSIAGA, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT R.
ARSIAGA, S YLVIA MACIAS , G ILBERT ARSIAGA, JR., GEORGE ARSIAGA,
MATTHEW ARSIAGA, ANGEL MUNOZ, R OBI A NN G ALINDO , PATRICIA
ARSIAGA, ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JEREMY ARSIAGA, C EDRIC
HUNT, S TEVEN GREENWOOD, S TEVEN W. HILLER , INDIVIDUALLY AND
ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF STEPHEN DUSTIN H ILLER , JEREMY
C HURCH, SANDRA HANKINS , INGRID F ISHER , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF S TEVEN S COTT F ISHER , KRISTIN WALKER ,
S TEVEN T. F ISHER , KATHLEEN G RAMKOWSKI , DANIEL CARVILL , MARY
CARVILL , PEGGY CARVILL-L IGUORI , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF FRANK T. CARVILL , PAMELA ADLE-WATTS , JOHN
WATTS , GLORIA NESBITT, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF DEFOREST L. TALBERT, D.J.H., A MINOR, TAWANNA TALBERT
DARRING , L ATASHA MARBLE , JAMES TALBERT, MIRANDA PRUITT,
VELINA SANCHEZ, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
MOSES ROCHA, ALOYSIUS SANCHEZ, JR., ROMMEL ROCHA, PHILLIP
SANCHEZ, G LORIA P. REYNOSO , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF YADIR G. REYNOSO , JASMIN REYNOSO , PATRICIA REYNOSO ,
JOSE REYNOSO , ASHLEY WELLS S IMPSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF L ARRY L LOYD WELLS , CHAD WELLS ,

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CRYSTAL STEWART, CHASITY WELLS-G EORGE, C ANDICE MACHELLA,
BILLY DOAL WELLS , H OPE ELIZABETH V EVERKA, D ONNA JEAN HEATH ,
INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF D AVID MICHAEL
HEATH , LOLA JEAN MODJESKA, JOHN D AVID HEATH , OLGA LYDIA
G UTIERREZ , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JACOB
D AVID MARTIR , ISMAEL MARTIR , NATHANIEL F OLEY , MICHAEL S COTT
D E WILDE , S TEVEN MORRIS , DANIELLE D ECHAINE -MORRIS , NICHOLAS
MORRIS , K.M., A MINOR, MONICA ARIZOLA, ROBERTO A ARON
ARIZOLA, ROBERTO ARIZOLA, SR., CECILIA ARIZOLA, DANNY ARIZOLA,
R ICARDO ARIZOLA, G REG KLECKER , RAYMOND MONTGOMERY ,
PATRICIA MONTGOMERY , TONY WOOD, JOEDI W OOD, A DAM W OOD,
MEGAN WOOD, L ISA R AMACI, LISA R AMACI INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF S TEVEN VINCENT, ISABELL VINCENT,
CHARLES VINCENT, MARIA VIDAL , TAMARA HASSLER , R ICHARD E.
HASSLER , JOANNE SUE HASSLER, S COTT HUCKFELDT, KATHRYN
HUCKFELDT, ALISHA HUCKFELDT, MATTHEW HUCKFELDT, TIMOTHY
NEWMAN, PADRAIC J. NEWMAN, A MENIA JONAUS , INDIVIDUALLY AND
ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JUDE JONAUS , G ERNESSOIT JONAUS ,
D APHNIE JONAUS MARTIN, RICKY JONAUS , MARCKENDY JONAUS ,
CLAIRE JONAUS , SHAREN JONAUS MARTIN, MASINA TULIAU, AUDELIA
MORIN, ESTEBAN MORIN, ESTAVAN MORIN, SR., B RIANNA R ENEE
NAVEJAS , MARGARITO A. MARTINEZ , AMY L YNN ROBINSON,
INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JEREMIAH ROBINSON,
F LOYD BURTON ROBINSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF JEREMIAH ROBINSON, JACOB MICHAEL ROBINSON, LUCAS
WILLIAM ROBINSON, JODEE JOHNSON, JAMES HIGGINS , WENDY
COLEMAN, B RIAN R ADKE, NOVA R ADKE, S TEVEN V ERNIER, JR.,
CLIFFORD L. SMITH , JR., INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE
OF K EVIN J. S MITH , GEORGIANNA S TEPHENS-S MITH , CORENA MARTIN,
A DAM MATTIS , TERRANCE PETERSON, III, PETRA S PIALEK, D AVID G.
CARDINAL , JR., INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
ANTHONY CARDINAL , RICHELLE H ECKER, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON

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BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM F. H ECKER, III, VICTORIA H ECKER,
W.H., A MINOR, C.H., A MINOR, WILLIAM F. H ECKER, JR., NANCY
H ECKER, JOHN D. HECKER, ROBERT F. MARIANO, D EBRA MARIANO,
B OBBIE D. MARIANO, V ICKIE MICHAY WHITE , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF S TEPHEN J. WHITE , G LADYS E. REYES
CENTENO , V ERONICA LOPEZ REYES , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF JASON LOPEZ REYES , ZORAIMA LOPEZ, JENNIFER LINK,
SHARON JOHNSTON, KENNY LEE, TOM B. LEE, L ING P. LEE, D EBORAH
NOBLE , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF CHARLES E.
MATHENY , IV, D AVID NOBLE , CHARLES E. MATHENY , III, JUDY
COLLADO , KAIYA COLLADO , JUSTIN WALDECK, TANJA KUHLMEIER ,
INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF DANIEL KUHLMEIER ,
ROBERT J. KUHLMEIER , THERESA A. KUHLMEIER , THERESA A NN
KUHLMEIER , E DWARD KUHLMEIER , THOMAS KUHLMEIER , JOHN
KUHLMEIER , ROBERT W. KUHLMEIER , PATRICK FARR, INDIVIDUALLY
AND ON B EHALF OF THE ESTATE OF CLAY P. FARR, S ILVER FARR,
CARROL ALDERETE , ANTHONY ALDERETE , C HAD FARR, RAYANNE
HUNTER , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF WESLEY
HUNTER , W.H., A MINOR, T.H., A MINOR, FABERSHA FLYNT L EWIS ,
CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY BERSHEFSKY , LORENZO SANDOVAL , JR.,
INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF ISRAEL
D EVORAGARCIA, LORENZO S ANDOVAL , J R., A DRIAN S ANDOVAL , ROSA
ESTHER S ANDOVAL , HENRY J. BANDHOLD, SR., INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF S COTT BANDHOLD, AFONSO BANDHOLD,
MARIANA BANDHOLD, H. JOSEPH BANDHOLD, DONALD C. BANDHOLD,
JOSHUA P. S TEIN, NICOLE B. S TEIN, NICOLE B. S TEIN, A MINOR, J.S.S., A
MINOR, JESSE P. S TEIN, E RIK ROBERTS , E.C.R, A MINOR, R OBIN ROBERTS ,
JAMES CRAIG ROBERTS , C ARA ROBERTS , COLIN ROBERTS , LUKE
MURPHY , WILLETTE MURPHY , SHANE IRWIN, T.R., A MINOR, HELEN
MARGUERITE IRWIN, NICOLE IRWIN, MARIA GOMEZ, INDIVIDUALLY
AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JOSE GOMEZ, JOHN D ANA GREER,
S TEPHANIE SANDER, CHRISTOPHER D. GREER, JOSEPH L. GREER, CARL

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K. GREER, CHRISTOPHER JOYNER , A NNE P. JOYNER , BRIAN
MONTOGMERY , K.K, A MINOR, NECOLE DUNLOW SMITH , MICHAEL R.
MILLS , M.R.M., A MINOR, E DDIE JO PALINSKY , INDIVIDUALLY AND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JERRY A. PALINSKY , JR., JERRY A. PALINSKY ,
II, A DINA PALINSKY , JERRY A. PALINSKY , SR., KATHLEEN H OKE, JOEL
PALINSKY , KARALEEN H ERB, E RIC B RANDON S TONEKING , C ARRIE SUE
S TONEKING , F AITH RENEE S TONEKING , NANETTE SAENZ,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF CARLOS N. SAENZ,
JUAN SAENZ, JOAQINA SAENZ CHORENS , LUZ MARIA ESTRADA-PULIDO ,
F RANCES CATHERINE CASTRO , ELVA ESPINOZA, A MANDA V ACHO, O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF NATHAN J. V ACHO A ND O N BEHALF OF
E.V., A MINOR, BAYLI V ACHO, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF NATHAN J. V ACHO, JOHN V ACHO, INDIVIDUALLY AND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF C AROL V ACHO, ASHLEY V ACHO L ESLIE ,
RONALD VEVERKA, CAROL POLLEY , DOUGLAS V EVERKA, SANDRA
S OLIDAY , JEANETTE WEST, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF ROBERT H. WEST, S HELBY WEST, D ONNA ENGEMAN,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN W.
ENGEMAN, SHANNON S HUMATE , LAUREN SHUMATE , L.S., A MINOR,
NICOLE D IC ENZO, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
DOUGLAS A NDREW D I C ENZO, D.D., A MINOR, L ARRY D I C ENZO, KATHY
C RANE, JOHNNY ALLEN BLAIR , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF ROBERT EDWARD BLAIR, CHARLEE BLAIR WEBB, C.L., A
MINOR, A RNE EASTLUND, TINA EASTLUND, SVEN EASTLUND, TAYLOR
EASTLUND, ELIZABETH JO EASTLUND, MATTHEW ADAMSON, R.A, A
MINOR, KATHY ADAMSON, R ICHARD ADAMSON, CHRISTOPHER
ADAMSON, JEFFREY ADAMSON, JUSTIN ADAMSON, JAMES SHEPARD,
JOHN P. S KLANEY ,, III, KATHY CRABTREE, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF DANIEL CRABTREE, M.C., A MINOR, JUDY
A NN CRABTREE, RONALD WAYNE CRABTREE, D EBRA WIGBELS, JUDY
H UENINK, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
B ENJAMIN J. S LAVEN, SEAN S LAVEN, NICOLE LANDON, MISTI F ISHER ,

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S TEVEN J. FRIEDRICH, A.F., A MINOR, PHILIP ALAN DERISE, NORMA
ALICIA CONTRERAS, JONATHAN CONTRERAS, JR., CARLOS CONTRERAS,
CESAR CONTRERAS, H ERNAN CONTRERAS, NOEL CONTRERAS,
DANNYEL CONTRERAS, SHARON M. PUGH , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF KENNETH IRVING PUGH , BRITNEY E.
CARTER , ALICIA PEARSON, DANIEL J. EVANS , JUSTIN EVANS , K EVIN
G RAVES , NICHOLAS GENE KOULCHAR , MICHAEL KOULCHAR , S UHEIL
CAMPBELL, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
EDGARDO ZAYAS , A.Z.C., A MINOR, CATHY A NDINO, INDIVIDUALLY
A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF E DWIN A. A NDINO JR., L UIS
JUNIOR PUERTAS , LIDIA S ULLIVAN, G ABRIELA D. PUERTAS VERGARA-
DONOSO , CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL MELENDEZ , NARCISO MELENDEZ ,
CHRISTINA MELENDEZ , L AUREL BARATTIERI , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF G UY BARATTIERI , PATRICIA WHEATLEY ,
R EBECCA BARATTIERI , NICOLE BARATTIERI , GINA TESNAR , G LORIA L.
MAGANA, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF KENNY
F RANCES STANTON JR., MARIO STANTON, B RANDIE S TANTON,
TERRYMARIE S TANTON, FRED F RIGO , NANNETTE BRYNE-HAUPT, L YNN
FOREHAND, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF RYAN
HAUPT, LANCE HAUPT, R HONDA HAUPT, TIFANY THOMPSON, SABRINA
C UMBE, WILLIAM WITTE , INDIVIDUALLY AND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF K EVIN M. WITTE , MICHAEL MOCK, TAMMY DORSEY , E RIC
PHYE , JAMES GMACHOWSKI, CONSTANCE B RIAN, A MBER HENSLEY ,
D AVID W. HAINES , DAWN HAINES , MACKENZIE HAINES , K ARAR
ALABSAWI, MICHELLE TAYLOR , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF D AVID G. TAYLOR , JR., J.T., A MINOR, PHYLLIS TAYLOR ,
JOHN TAYLOR , BRIAN B. TAYLOR , JUDAS R ECENDEZ, TYLER NORAGER ,
S HALEE NORAGER , M.N., A MINOR, HARRY RILEY BOCK, JILL A NN
B OCK, MARIAH SIMONEAUX, KOUSAY AL-TAIE, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF A HMED AL-TAIE, NAWAL AL-TAIE,
BASHAR AL-TAIE, HATHAL K. TAIE, LAWRENCE KRUGER ,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF E RIC KRUGER ,

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CAROL KRUGER , C.K., A MINOR, E.K., A MINOR, DOUGLAS KRUGER ,
JACKIE FARRAR -FINKEN, INDIVIDUALLY AND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF PAUL FINKEN, EMILIE FINKEN, C.F., A MINOR, J.F., A MINOR,
S TEPHEN FINKEN, ALAN FINKEN, R ICHARD FINKEN, D AVID FINKEN,
MARK FINKEN, JEAN PRUITT, JOAN HENSCHEID, PETER FINKEN, LORI
A NN MCCOY , INDIVIDUALLY AND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
G REGORY MCCOY , L.M., A MINOR, T.M., A MINOR, G LENN MICHAEL
C OX, S ANGSOON K IM, SEOP S TEVE K IM, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JANG H O K IM, MICHELLE K IM, KURTISS
LAMB, F RANCIS L. COTE , NANCY COTE , CHRISTOPHER COTE ,
S AMANTHA DUNFORD, MAXIMILLIAN S HROYER , S AMANTHA DUNFORD,
CASEY R EUBEN, B REE R EUBEN, PATRICK R EUBEN, JACKIE S TEWART,
MARK MUNNS, CRISTA MUNNS, SHARON DE B RABANDER, DENNIS
D E B RABANDER, NICOLE D EB RABANDER, JOELLA PRATT, HELEN
F RASER, R ICHARD F RASER , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF D AVID M. F RASER, TRICIA ENGLISH , NATHAN ENGLISH ,
N.C.E., A MINOR, A.S.E., A MINOR, TODD DAILY , O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF SHAWN L. ENGLISH , JOSHUA S TARKEY , BRENT HINSON,
WILLIAM HINSON, FRAN HINSON, HILARY WESTERBERG , JOHN G IBSON,
S TEPHANIE G IBSON WEBSTER , SEAN ELLIOTT, TRAVIS G IBSON, WILLIAM
RONALD LITTLE , B RENDA L ITTLE , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF
WILLIAM RONALD LITTLE , JR., K IRA S IKES, RANDOLPH DELBERT
NANTZ , JOSHUA RYAN NANTZ , CHAQUITA TALBERT, ALOYSIUS
SANCHEZ, SR., VICTORIA M. F OLEY , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF ALEXANDER S COTT A RREDONDO, GWENDOLYN MORIN-
MARENTES , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF STEVE
MORIN, JR., ALVIS BURNS , KEITH V EVERKA, S UZZETTEE L AWSON,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF ISAAC S. L AWSON,
CHASTITY D AWN L AFLIN, ALEXANDER ZAYAS , COLIN HAINES , LORI
A NN MCC ORMICK, LORI A NN MCC ORMICK INDIVIDUALLY AND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF CLINTON MCC ORMICK, D EBORAH BEAVERS ,
DENISE V ENNIX, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF

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ALAN R. BLOHM , JEREMY BLOHM , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF CHRIS BLOHM , K IANA BLOHM , JAMES S MITH , MAUK
MAUK, ROBERT V ACCARO, JOANNE G UTCHER , CHARLOTTE FREEMAN,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF B RIAN S. FREEMAN,
G.F., A MINOR, I.F., A MINOR, KATHLEEN S NYDER , RANDOLPH
FREEMAN, KATHALEEN FREEMAN, ALBERT S NYDER , R ICHARD LEE,
DANNY CHISM , ELIZABETH CHISM , INDIVIDUALLY AND O N BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF JOHNATHAN B. CHISM , VANESSA CHISM , JULIE CHISM ,
RUSSELL J. F ALTER , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
SHAWN P. F ALTER , LINDA F ALTER , MARJORIE F ALTER, RUSSELL C.
F ALTER , JOHN S ACKETT, JASON S ACKETT, MICHAEL L UCAS , MARSHA
NOVAK, D AVID L UCAS , TIM L UCAS , A NDREW L UCAS , SHANNON
MILLICAN, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
JOHNATHON M. MILLICAN, PAUL MITCHELL MILLICAN, NOALA F RITZ ,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JACOB F RITZ A ND
THE ESTATE OF L YLE F RITZ , DANIEL F RITZ, ETHAN FRITZ , BILLY
WALLACE , BILLY WALLACE , S TEFANIE WALLACE , AUSTIN WALLACE ,
D EVON WALLACE , C.W., A MINOR, E VAN KIRBY , MARCIA KIRBY ,
S TEVEN KIRBY , JOHNNY WASHBURN, MARVIN THORNSBERRY , CYNTHIA
THORNSBERRY , A.B., A MINOR, TRACY ANDERSON, JEFFREY ANDERSON,
A DAM G. S TOUT, A NDREW JEFFREY ANDERSON, ELIZABETH L YNN
ISLAS , ANASTASIA FULLER , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF ALEXANDER H. F ULLER , A.F., A MINOR, L.R.-W., A MINOR,
HEATH DAMON HOBSON, JODI MICHELLE HOBSON, S AMANTHA
BALSLEY , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL
C. BALSLEY , JODI MICHELLE HOBSON, M.D.H., A MINOR, NICHOLE
G ARRIGUS , D EADRA G ARRIGUS , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF MICKEL D. G ARRIGUS , D AVID G ARRIGUS , KYLA
OSTENSON, MATTHEW G ARRIGUS , SHAWN RYAN, SHARON Y. D UNN
S MITH , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF TERRENCE
D UNN, DENNIS D UNN, R ICHARD LANDECK, VICTORIA LANDECK,
LAVONNA H ARPER, MELBA A NNE F. HARRIS , PAUL D. HARRIS,

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HYUNJUNG G LAWSON, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE
OF CURTIS E. GLAWSON, Y OLANDA BROOKS , CURTIS G LAWSON,, SR.,
K IERRA G LAWSON, SABRINA G LAWSON, ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
CORTEZ GLAWSON, JAZMON REYNA, RYAN S ABINISH , R.J.S., A MINOR,
S.J.S., A MINOR, C ARRIE THOMPSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND O N BEHALF
OF THE ESTATE OF SEAN M. THOMAS , A.T., A MINOR, DANIEL THOMAS ,
SR., D IANA THOMAS, DANIEL THOMAS , JR., KELLY G ILLIS , MELINDA
F LICK , A NN CHRISTOPHER, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF KWESI CHRISTOPHER, NANCY F UENTES , INDIVIDUALLY A ND
O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF DANIEL A. F UENTES , A RMANDO
F UENTES , JULIO F UENTES , TATYANA F UENTES , E MMA MCG ARRY , D.J.F.,
A MINOR, JOHN KIRBY , MICHAEL MURPHY-S WEET, ELIZABETH MURPHY-
S WEET, A NONA G ONELLI , L INDSAY Y OUNG, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF BRETT A. WALTON, L EASA DOLLAR ,
EUGENE DELOZIER , MICHELLE KLEMENSBERG , INDIVIDUALLY AND O N
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF L ARRY R. B OWMAN, S COTT L ILLEY , FRANK
L ILLEY , JOLENE L ILLEY , MATTHEW L ILLEY , A VA TOMSON,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF L UCAS V.
S TARCEVICH , R ICHARD TOMSON, G LENDA S TARCEVICH , A RIANA
S TARCEVICH , TRENTON S TARCEVICH , S AMANTHA TOMSON, A NDREW
TOMSON, JARED S. S TEVENS , S.W., A MINOR, BRADLEY S TARCEVICH ,
S USAN MARIA DOSKOCIL HICKS , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF
THE ESTATE OF G LENN DALE HICKS , JR., GLENN DALE HICKS , JR.,
D AVID JAMES HICKS, JOHN CHRISTOPHER HICKS , S.L.H., A MINOR,
K AREN FUNCHEON, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE
OF ALEXANDER J. FUNCHEON, ROBERT FUNCHEON, DWIGHT MARTIN,
INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JAY E. MARTIN,
D OVE D EANNA ADAMS , R AVEN ADAMS , LARK ADAMS , HOLLY
BURSON, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JEROME
POTTER , NANCY UMBRELL , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF COLBY J. UMBRELL , MARK UMBRELL , CASEY BOEHMER,
JEREMY D. SMITH , DANIEL D IXON, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF

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THE ESTATE OF ILENE D IXON AND THE ESTATE OF ROBERT J. D IXON,
JESSICA HUBBARD, O N BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT J. D IXON,
M.R., A MINOR, L.R., A MINOR, D AVID D IXON, DANIEL AUSTIN D IXON,
G RETCHEN L ANG , R EBECCA J. OLIVER , DANIEL C. OLIVER , KIMBERLEE
AUSTIN-OLIVER , TIFFANY M. L ITTLE , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF
OF THE ESTATE OF KYLE A. L ITTLE , K.L., A MINOR, SHELLEY ANN
S MITH , DAKOTA S MITH-L IZOTTE , KIMBERLEE AUSTIN-OLIVER , TIFFANY
M. L ITTLE , INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N B EHALF OF THE ESTATE OF KYLE A.
L ITTLE , K.L., A MINOR, S HELLEY A NN S MITH , DAKOTA S MITH-LIZOTTE ,
S HYANNE S MITH-LIZOTTE , E RIN LEE DRUCTOR , INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF BLAKE S TEPHENS , TRENT STEPHENS ,
KATHLEEN S TEPHENS , D EREK S TEPHENS , RHETT S TEPHENS , SUMMER
S TEPHENS , BRITTANI HOBSON, CYNTHIA C ONNER, WILLIAM FARRAR,
SR., INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM
FARRAR, JOSHUA BROOKS , JOYCE BROOKS, DANIEL TYLER BROOKS ,
DELILAH BROWN, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF
S COTT J. BROWN, TONYA K. DRESSLER , ARDITH CECIL DRESSLER,
MELISSA DRESSLER, TANYA S UZZETTE DRESSLER, DANIEL DRESSLER,
ELIZABETH MASTERSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE
OF JOSHUA D. B ROWN, MARIAN B ROWN, WAYNE B ROWN, DANIELLE
S WEET, A.B., A MINOR, G.B., A MINOR, DONNA KUGLICS , INDIVIDUALLY
AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF MATTHEW J. KUGLICS , L ES
KUGLICIS , EMILY ADAMS , D EREK G AJDOS , TAMMY DENBOER,
B RANDEAUX CAMPBELL , RYAN WILSON, JAMI LIN WILSON, MATTHEW
L AMMERS , ALICIA L AMMERS , B ARBARA L AMMERS , GARY L AMMERS ,
S TACY PATE , ANGEL GOMEZ, DENISE JACKSON, S COTT H OOD, FLORA
H OOD, D IXIE F LAGG , S TEPHANIE HOOD, CHEYENNE F LAGG , WILLIAM
PARKER, MEGHAN PARKER -CROCKETT, A NDREW MOORES , SHEILA
TRACY , INDIVIDUALLY AND BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JACOB TRACY ,
DONALD TRACY , NICHOLE S WEENEY , CHRISTINA SHERIDAN, MATTHEW
BENSON, MELISSA BENSON, C.B., A MINOR, B.B., A MINOR, DANIEL P.
BENSON, CAROL BENSON, DANIEL R. BENSON, RAYMOND NIGEL

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SPENCER, JR., S YLVIA JOHNSON SPENCER, MICHAEL D EAN MOODY ,
INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL D EAN
MOODY , JR., C ONNIE MOODY , KEDRICK DANTE MOODY , D REW
EDWARDS , DONIELLE EDWARDS , ARIFAH HARDY , T.C., A MINOR,
A UNDRA CRAIG , JOYCE CRAIG , D EBRA COOK-RUSSELL, NASHIMA
WILLIAMS CRAIG , JONATHAN CRAIG , A NDRE B ROWN, MICHAEL C OOK,
VALENCIA C OOK, KATHERINE M. C ROW, INDIVIDUALLY AND ON
BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM J. C ROW, K.A.C., A MINOR,
C ANDACE CATHRYN HUDSON, INDIVIDUALLY A ND O N BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF KATHRYN A NN MONDINI, K.E.C, A MINOR, JOHN TAYLOR ,
CARROL ALDERETE , TRACYANDERSON, J.J., R.J.S., LORI A NN
MCC ORMICK, TINA EASTLUND, NANETTE SAENZ, B ARBARAF ARLEY ,
JACKIE MERK HLASTAN, KATHRYN HUCKFELDT, RANDOLPH FREEMAN,
MAXINE E.C ROCKETT, C AMERON F ARLEY , JUAN SAENZ, THOMAS
S MITH , JENNIFER R ENEE YORK, BOONCHOB PRUDHOME, S TEPHANIE
MCCULLEY , D REW EDWARDS , R HONDA K EMPER, DANIEL C. OLIVER ,
CECILIA ARIZOLA, JACOB MICHAEL ROBINSON, MICHELLE TAYLOR ,
T.M.(A MINOR), D EREK S TEPHENS , B RUCE LUKOW, KATHY KUGLER ,
S TEPHANIE HOOD, M.R.(A MINOR), TONYA FREEMAN, MICHELLE
B ENAVIDEZ, E DWARD KUHLMEIER , JUSTIN ADAMSON, NICHOLE
L OHRIG , ANTHONY ALDERETE , NAWAL AL TAIE, WILLIAM WITTE ,
A NNE P. JOYNER , CLIFFORD VAUGHN, A.F.(A MINOR), LAUREN
S HUMATE , TAWANNA TALBERT DARRING , DANIEL B ENAVIDEZ, S KYLAR
H AKE, MICHAEL LUKOW, CHARLEE BLAIR WEBB, HENRY J. BANDHOLD,
SR, JEFFREY D. PRICE, MARC S TEARNS , B RANDON ARNOLD, A DAM
WOOD, CHRISTOPHER LEVI, I.W., NICHOLAS GENE KOULCHAR , WAYNE
B ROWN, C.S.(A MINOR), B.B., GREG KLECKER , G LENN DALE HICKS , SR,
ROBERT FUNCHEON, NANCY UMBRELL , COLLEEN CZAPLICKI , JOAQINA
SAENZ CHORENS , DANIELCARVILL , ALOYSIUS SANCHEZ, SR, A VA
TOMSON, NATHANIEL F OLEY , DONNA JEAN HEATH ,A UDELIA MORIN,
KATRINA C OE, G.H., PHILIP ALAN DERISE, MARLYNN G ONZALES ,
JOSHUAD ENMAN, CORY S MITH , ANGELA M. LAIRD, MEGAN WOOD,

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L.W., MATTHEW CRAIG , JUDY A NN CRABTREE, A NDREW LUKOW,
DARLENE S HELTON, WESLEY WILLIAMSON, LUKE MURPHY , RAYMOND
NIGEL SPENCER, SR., D EADRA GARRIGUS , KATHRYN H EAD, DENISE
V ENNIX, K.A.C, L ARRY D I CENZO, JOYCE CRAIG , CESAR CONTRERAS,
EMILY LEVI, JOEDI WOOD, JOSEPH LUKOW, C ANA H ICKMAN, R OBIN
ROBERTS , SARAH D UDEK, S.S., SEAN ELLIOTT, G EORGIANNA
S TEPHENSS MITH , JORDAN M. LAIRD, CHRISTOPHER BOUTEN, PATRICK
WARD, MELISSA DRESSLER, TATYANA F UENTES , TANJA KUHLMEIER ,
E RIC PHYE, G LORIA P REYNOSO , JOAN HENSCHEID, NICHOLAS MORRIS ,
S TEVEN J. FRIEDRICH, G.L., MATTHEW MENKE, ROBERT KUGLER ,
TERREL CHARLES BARTLETT, CATHY A NDINO, A DAM MATTIS , PHYLLIS
TAYLOR , J.M.H., AMBER HABSIEGER , A RIANA S TARCEVICH , K.A.,
HEATH DAMON HOBSON, S.L.H., BRENT HINSON, TIMOTHY TIFFNER ,
E.R., KIMBERLEE AUSTINOLIVER , MARK HURST, L ISA R AMACI, KELLY
G ILLIS , NORMA ALICIA C ONTRERAS , M.B.S., J.L.(A MINOR), JOSEPH T.
MILLER , JEREMY D. SMITH , DONALD MAYES , ALAN BURKS , MEGAN
PEOPLE , JOHN R ICHARD TULLY , II, BRETT FARLEY , CHRISTOPHER
JOYNER , ANGELICA A NDRADE, MATTHEW G ARRIGUS , S TEVEN T.
F ISHER , JENNIFER ROOSE , CASSANDRA BAILEY , E RIC NEIBERGER ,
SHAREN JONAUS MARTIN, TRENT S TEPHENS , LEE WOLFER , NICHOLAS
PROWSE, THERESA DAVIS , KAIYA COLLADO , TABITHA MCCOY , JUSTIN
WALDECK, JONI ARIEL REEVES LITTLE , TAMMY DORSEY , JODEE
JOHNSON, ROBERTO ARIZOLA, SR, NATHAN ENGLISH , ALISON BURKS
MCR UIZ, CYNTHIA DELGADO , A NDREW BRADLEY , K EDRICK DANTE
MOODY , DON JASON S TONE , D ONNA L EWIS , ANDY POOL , JERRY L.
MYERS , JEFFREY C. MANN, G EORGE ARSIAGA, JOHN S TEARNS , BRIDGET
JUNEAU, B REANNA L YNN G ASPER , D ONNA F ARLEY , AUSTIN WALLACE ,
B RIAN T. SHELTON, AFONSO BANDHOLD, MARY NEIBERGER , NANCY
H ECKER, KIRA S IKES , R ICHARD TOMSON, MACKENZIE HAINES ,
CHRISTOPHER BOGART, LUZ MARIA ESTRADAPULIDO , JESSICA H.
WILLIAMS , NICHOLAS B AUMHOER, SANDRA HANKINS , ESTEBAN
MORIN, MICHAEL KOULCHAR , GINA TESNAR , L INDSAY Y OUNG ,

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R EBECCA J. OLIVER , CHARLES B. G REGSTON, JAMES SMITH , JACKIE
FARRARFINKEN, SABRINA G LAWSON, MICHAEL S COTT D E WILDE ,
SHANNON S HUMATE , JOHN D HECKER, L ILLIAN HURST, D AVID WAYNE
HARTLEY , RYAN WILSON, L OLA JEAN MODJESKA, BEVERLEY WOLFER ,
D ENICE YORK, F ABERSHA F LYNT L EWIS , K ERI H AKE, PAMELA
ADLEWATTS , R OBI ANN G ALINDO , B RANDIE S TANTON, KURTISS LAMB,
BRYAN S. SHELTON, M.R.M, JOHNNY JAVIER MILES , JR, JACQUELINE A.
S MITH , MELISSA BENSON, MARK MUNNS, CARL K. GREER, C ARRIE
THOMPSON, TOM B. LEE, R ICHARD F RASER, JOANNE SUE HASSLER ,
A NDREW L UCAS , HUNTER L. LAIRD, JONATHAN CONTRERAS, SR,
MARIA ALVAREZ , ALEXANDER ZAYAS , NANNETTE BRYNEHAUPT,
C ONNIE HADDOCK, JENNIFER LINK, D OVE D EANNA ADAMS ,
CHARLOTTE FREEMAN, HOLLY BURSON, CHRISTOPHER WATTS ,
NATALIA WHITE , ZACHARY H AKE, T.S. (A MINOR), SEAN HARRINGTON,
TAMARA RUNZEL , S HYANNE S MITH L IZOTTE , K.B., S UZZETTEE LAWSON,
C EDRIC HUNT, E.C.R., G LADYS E. REYES CENTENO , LAVONNA H ARPER,
D AWN HAINES , ROBERT NEIBERGER , JENNIFER MORMAN, HARRY RILEY
B OCK, CARLOS CONTRERAS , DEVON WALLACE , TIFFANY M. L ITTLE ,
MARY JANE VANDEGRIFT(INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE
ESTATE OF MATTHEW R. VANDEGRIFT), S AMANTHA DUNFORD,
CHRISTINA MELENDEZ , CALVIN C ANINE, L ES KUGLICIS , WAYNE
NEWBY , REBECCA BARATTIERI , KYLA OSTENSON, F RANCES CATHERINE
CASTRO , JUDY HOFFMAN, B RENDA L ITTLE , PAULA MENKE, C ONNIE
MOODY , DEBRA WIGBELS , JEAN D AMMANN, D ONNA ENGEMAN,
S TEPHANIE K IDDER, S YLVIA JOHNSON SPENCER, D EBORAH SMITH ,
D EBRA COOKRUSSELL, MICHAEL HABSIEGER , H. JOSEPH BANDHOLD,
I.F., MEGAN MAUK, ESTAVAN MORIN, SR, J.T.B., RAYANNE HUNTER ,
DANIEL B ENAVIDEZ, J R, H ERNAN CONTRERAS, TAYLOR EASTLUND,
CHRISTINA S MITH , MICHEAL PAUL ALLEN S HELSWELL , J.M., JUDY
COLLADO , D IXIE F LAGG , CHASTITY D AWN L AFLIN, ASHLEY V ACHO
L ESLIE , RICKY JONAUS , M.R.M., TANYA EVRARD, COLIN HAINES ,
L UCAS WILLIAM ROBINSON, JOHN R ICHARD TULLY , MARK UMBRELL ,

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P.A., JEAN PRUITT, V ERONICA PENA A NDRADE, R ICHARD LEE, CAROL
BENSON, ROBERTO AARON ARIZOLA, TIMOTHY NEWMAN, COLIN
ROBERTS , ROBERTO A NDRADE, SR., SVEN EASTLUND, SABRINA
C HAPMAN, SHANE IRWIN, S COTT L ILLEY , CRYSTAL TUTWILER , S UHEIL
C AMPBELL, DOUGLAS KRUGER , D AVID FINKEN, MARIANA BANDHOLD,
PETRA S PIALEK, VELINA SANCHEZ, DANIEL THOMAS , SR, PATRICIA
MONTGOMERY , JAMES VAUGHN, A.L.R., K.K, D AVID C. IVERSON,
KAYTRINA JACKSON, L.R., N.C.E., T.C., D IANNE O'NEILL , WILLIAM
PARKER, ETHAN F RITZ , E DNA LUZ BURGOS , WILLIAM FARRAR,SR.,
B RANDEAUX CAMPBELL , CHRISTINA SHERIDAN, JERRY A. PALINSKY , SR,
S TEVE WADLEIGH , KATHLEEN H OKE, MICHELLE WEST, TIFANY
THOMPSON, JESSECA L YN TSOSIE , K EVIN GRAVES , JUDAS R ECENDEZ,
C ORENA MARTIN, DANIEL F RITZ , MIRANDA PRUITT, JAMES KINSEY ,
KEMELY PICKETT, JARRETT WARD, D.A.S., MARY CARVILL , JEFFREY
ANDERSON, VICTOR RAY WISE II, BILLY DOAL WELLS , NICOLE
BARATTIERI , NICHOLE G ARRIGUS, VICTORIA LANDECK, D ONNA
KUGLICS , CHRISTOPHER SONGER , JESSALYN HOLT, VALENCIA C OOK,
L ING P. LEE, ROSEMARIE ALFONSO , DANIEL DRESSLER, LARK ADAMS ,
R ICHARD E. HASSLER, E RIK ROBERTS , PATRICIA WHEATLEY , A.M.H.,
MARGARITA ARISTIZABAL , THERESA HART, MARY JANE
VANDEGRIFT(INDIVIDUALLY AND ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN
VANDEGRIFT), DANIEL MENKE, JOSEPH L. GREER, SHELLEY A NN CASEY ,
CHRISTOPHER MILLER , R ENE POOL , JARED S. S TEVENS , KENNY LEE,
A.Z.C., MELINDA F LICK , JOHN G IBSON, OLGA LYDIA G UTIERREZ , FRED
F RIGO , NICOLE A. KAPLAN, R EBECCA L. SAMTENFINCH, TAMMY
VANDERWAAL , TYLER NORAGER , BRITNEY E. CARTER, D AVID JAMES
HICKS , SHANNON MILLICAN, R.A., CARLLIE PAUL , THEODORE L ESTER ,
LORI A NN MCCOY , K.L., BOBBIE D. MARIANO, C.L.(A MINOR),
ANASTASIA F ULLER , R ICHARD FINKEN, JOSHUA S CHICHTL, K IERRA
G LAWSON, F AITH R ENEES TONEKING , PATRICIA REYNOSO , B RIANNA
R ENEE NAVEJAS , POLOKA AIETI , DONIELLE EDWARDS , S HELBY WEST,
VICTORIA M. F OLEY , RUSSEL HICKS , JR., ELVA ESPINOZA, C HAD FARR,

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CRISTA MUNNS, D AVID ARNOLD, ANTHONY HUDSON, JOSEPH HELTON,
SR., JOHN D. LAMIE, G EORGE D. WHITE , C.F., BASHAR AL TAIE,
MATTHEW L ILLEY , V IVIAN PICKETT, BILLY JOHNSON, C ARA ROBERTS ,
C.B., CHRIS F ARLEY , JESSICA H UBBARD, RANDALL G EIGER , ROBERT
C ANINE, JOHN S ACKETT, J.T., L EASA DOLLAR , JOHN MCCULLEY ,
C ANDICE MACHELLA, MATTHEW L AMMERS , WILLIAM RONALD L ITTLE ,
CASSIE COLLINS , CHRISTOPHER COTE , NICOLE LANDON, JOSHUA P.
S TEIN, C ARRIE SUE STONEKING , URSULA ANN JOSHUA, MATTHEW
BENSON, JAMES C ANINE, CHRISTINA B IEDERMAN, MARIO S TANTON,
V ERONICA DENISSE A NDRADE, BILLY WALLACE , D IANA THOMAS ,
MONICA ARIZOLA, DAKOTA S MITH L IZOTTE , LEAA NN WADLEIGH ,
L ESLIE K. REEVESHARDCASTLE, A.S.E., TONY G ONZALEZ , JENNIFER
L YNN HUNT, S LADE VICTOR TULLY , DOUGLAS V EVERKA, THOMAS
KUHLMEIER , JOHN VACHO, KIMBERLY VESEY , ELIZABETH CHISM, A VA
L ANETTE BRADLEY , HILARY WESTERBERG , M.C., D EBORAH BEAVERS ,
MAX W. HURST, TANYA S UZZETTE DRESSLER, JAMIE BARNES , PEGGY
CARVILL L IGUORI , JEFFREY ADAMSON, S AMANTHA BALSLEY , ELIZABETH
JO EASTLUND, ANGEL MAYES , ALOYSIUS SANCHEZ, JR, JUDITH TIFFNER ,
T.R., H OPE ELIZABETH V EVERKA, A.S., ARIFAH HARDY , JUSTIN EVANS ,
G ILBERT ARSIAGA, JR, S ELICIA F IELD, A.B.(A MINOR), FRANK L ILLEY ,
JEANNINE VAUGHN, NOEL CONTRERAS, ADINA PALINSKY , B RIAN
MONTOGMERY , EMANUELA F LOREXIL , STEPHEN FINKEN, RUSSELL J.
F ALTER , CASEY R EUBEN, M.A.H., S TEVEN GREENWOOD, SEOP K IM,
PAUL MITCHELL MILLICAN, JAMES TALBERT, G EORGE J. WHITE , ANITA
B AKER, KARALEEN HERB, PAM MARION, KELLI D. H AKE, BRIAN G.
TAYLOR , MATTHEW ARSIAGA, DONALD C. BANDHOLD, JEANNE R HEA
MCMANUS , DANIEL PRICE, MARK FINKEN, K.M., V ICKIE MICHAY
WHITE , R EBEKAH S COTT, E RIC BILLITER , MICHAEL J. MILLER , RICHELLE
H ECKER, STEVEN KIRBY , MARLEN PICKETT, SHAYLYN C. R EECE, G LORIA
L. MAGANA, ROMMEL R OCHA, T.H., MARILYN L OUISE TULLY , TAMARA
HASSLER , D AVID D IXON, BRITTANI HOBSON, HELEN F RASER, JOHN
D AVID HEATH , JOHN KUHLMEIER , P.H., KIMBERLY SONGER , MATTHEW

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F IESER , B RIAN C OKE, D EREK ALLEN HOLLCROFT, ADAM MAGERS , JOYCE
BROOKS , MARICEL MURRAY , S EBASTIAN NIUMAN, S AMANTHA TUCKER,
JOSHUA P.G. WOLD, A NDREW TOMSON, JACOB B AUER, JOHNNY JAVIER
MILES , SR, CLAIRE JONAUS , DANNYEL CONTRERAS, S TEPHANIE C.
SANDER, ROBERT WHITE, CHRISTOPHER D. GREER, DANNY CHISM ,
MICHAEL D EAN MOODY , ROBERT V ACCARO, S HALEE NORAGER ,
MICHAEL L UCAS , ARDELL THOMSEN, TIMOTHY W. ELLEDGE , ARNE
EASTLUND, D AVID W. HAINES , MELBA A NNE F. HARRIS , JESSE P. S TEIN,
RALPH THOMSEN, MICHAEL WEATHERLY , S USAN MARIA DOSKOCIL
HICKS , VERONICA LOPEZ REYES , A UNDRA CRAIG , SANDRA S OLIDAY ,
A NDREW MOORES , L.R.W., RONALD S LOAN, KATHLEEN S NYDER ,
HATHAL K. TAIE, S HEILA TRACY, ROBERT F. MARIANO, JUDY HUENINK,
MICHAEL S MITH , DENNIS D UNN, CYNTHIA C ONNER, IMO AIETI,
CONSTANCE B RIAN, JOHN O'NEILL , D AVID KAPLAN, ELENA SHAW,
G.B.(A MINOR), ANGELA ALVAREZ , AMI NEIBERGER , JOLENE L ILLEY ,
JENNIE L. MORIN, JONATHAN CRAIG , A NDRE B ROWN, JAMES DRESSLER ,
KATHY ADAMSON, RHETT MURPHY , MICHAEL R. MILLS , CAROL
POLLEY , CYNTHIA THORNSBERRY , ALAN FINKEN, CELESTE Y ANTIS ,
KRISTIN WHITE , JASON ROBINSON, JODI MICHELLE HOBSON, S COTT
H OOD, S HAULA S HAFFER , DANIEL J. EVANS , C.W., MARION CRIMENS ,
G ABRIELA D. PUERTAS VERGARADONOSO , DONALD TRACY , DONALD
F IELD, CHRISTOPHER G OLEMBE , ANGELICA F IELD, LANI D. BOGART,
FRANK L. CONVERSE, RUSSELL C. F ALTER , MARVISE L. C ROCKETT, JEAN
MARIANO, SENOVIA F IELD, JESSICA CABOT, LORENZO S ANDOVAL , JR,
EUGENE DELOZIER , SHARON JOHNSTON, S TACY PATE , S HILYN JACKSON,
VICTORIA H ECKER, MARIO BOWEN, S ETH TIFFNER , JOHN P. S KLANEY ,
III, JOELLA PRATT, PRESTON SHANE R EECE, JEREMY BAUER, D AVID G.
CARDINAL , JR, JEREMY C HURCH, L AUREL BARATTIERI , E DDIE JO
PALINSKY , CHEYENNE F LAGG , JOEL PALINSKY , S.J.S., B RENDA CHAND,
S AMANTHA TOMSON, MICHELLE K IM, JERRY A. PALINSKY , II, LATASHA
MARBLE , PHILLIP SANCHEZ, L UIS GARZA, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL
MELENDEZ , JOHN DANA GREER, PADRAIC J. NEWMAN, ALICIA

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PEARSON, LINDA G IBSON, CHRISTOPHER ADAMSON, ELIZABETH
MASTERSON, G REGORY B AUER, M.N., KATHY CRABTREE, J.R., EVAN D.
BOGART, MAXIMILLIAN S HROYER , CHASITY WELLSGEORGE , MICHELLE
KLEMENSBERG , JOHNNY WASHBURN, G.F., ISABELL VINCENT,
MICHAELMURPHY SWEET, MARGARITO A. MARTINEZ , JR, S TEFANIE
WALLACE , NATHAN NEWBY , VANESSA CHISM , Z ORAIMA LOPEZ, S USAN
ARNOLD, EMILIE FINKEN, V ICKIE MCHONE, JOSHUA TIFFNER ,
MATTHEW HUCKFELDT, JAYDEAN HAMILTON, MARIAH SIMONEAUX,
SHARON M. PUGH , D ONNIE MARION, JAMES CRAIG ROBERTS , A MBER
HENSLEY , A MENIA JONAUS , MELISSA DOHENY , S HELLEY A NN S MITH ,
NOEL S. FARLEY , TAMMY KINNEY , G LORIA NESBITT, KIMBERLY MILLER ,
SEAN S LAVEN, E RIC B RANDON S TONEKING , JULIE CHISM , DWIGHT
MARTIN, KATHY C RANE, RONALD V EVERKA, TRAVIS G IBSON, NOALA
F RITZ , MATTHEW L. MERGELE , LAWRENCE KRUGER , SHARON Y. D UNN
S MITH , JOSE REYNOSO , BRADLEY S TARCEVICH , DANIEL P. BENSON,
KEITH V EVERKA, PATRICIA S MITH , E.W., SHIRLEY S TEARNS , A DAM G.
S TOUT, A RMANDO F UENTES , RONALD WAYNE CRABTREE, SANDRA
VALENCIA, K AREN FUNCHEON, ISMAEL MARTIR , E.K., BRYANT
BEARFIELD, WILLIAM J. LEE, MARVIN THORNSBERRY , A NN
CHRISTOPHER, CHRISTOPHER DAVID, TAUSOLO AIETI, B ENJAMIN
DANIEL CARRINGTON, NANCY COTE , JANET JONES , MERLESE PICKETT,
NICOLE IRWIN, A MANDA V ACHO, R ICHARD CASEY , PERRY WHITE ,
SHARON DE B RABANDER, A DRIAN S ANDOVAL, JAMI LIN WILSON,
HYUNJUNG G LAWSON, LINDA F ALTER , K ARAR ALABSAWI , JASON
S ACKETT, ROADY L ANDTISER , JEREMY BLOHM , PETER FINKEN,
TERRANCE PETERSON, III, ANGELINE JACKSON, E RIC LEVI, F RANCES
ROBINSON, RYAN S ABINISH , S HELBY WHITE, ASHLEY G UDRIDGE
HOUPPERT, JOSHUA BROOKS , MICHAEL COOK, NICHOLE S WEENEY ,
SARAH CROSBY , JAMES SHEPARD, S TEPHANIE JUNEAU, ROBERT W.
KUHLMEIER , G ARY LAMMERS , LINDA JONES , SHAWN BARTLETT,
TEMIKA SWINTON, J OHN DAGGETT, L YNN FOREHAND, JANET L. RIOS ,
MARK E. THOMSEN, LAUREN NIQUETTE , JOEL H ERNANDEZ, VICTORIA

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H ERNANDEZ, ATHENA HALL , MATTHEW C. BEATTY , A NDREW
CHARLES MAJOR, H.K., KIERSTEN HALL , JERRIN MATTHEW OGDEN,
RONALD ALLDRIDGE , B ROOKE KENNEY , K.R.G., TODD ALLDRIDGE ,
R ENE G UTEL , ABIGAIL H ALL , JOANN ALLDRIDGE , A NDREW JAMES
RAYMOND, K ANDI DANIELLE WHITESIDE , THOMAS NIQUETTE , A.M.M.,
A NA M. GOMEZ, RANDALL KLINGENSMITH , SHARON S MITHEY
WHITESIDE , KAITLYN ADAMS , ANGELA M. GARCIA, RYAN BOWMAN,
MICHAEL PASCO , ANDREW HALL , DANIEL KENNEY , CHRISTOPHER
WHITESIDE , SEAN M. NIQUETTE , CHRISTOPHER S ATTERFIELD, G RANT H.
V ON LETKEMANN, II, ASHLEY MEIKEL MAJOR, B RIAN CLARK
ALLDRIDGE , S HERYL A NN C HEN, TARA HUTCHINSON, R ANDI J EAN
MARTZ , J.K., K.M.G., M.J.H., STEPHEN W. EVANS , JACKSON WILEY
WHITESIDE , TYLER NICHOLAS OGDEN, M.T.W., R ICHARD HEDGECOCK,
II, MATTHEW WHITESIDE , MACKENZIE G. HALL , D IANNA ALLDRIDGE ,
MARY NIQUETTE , MARK A. HALL , G ARY DOUGLAS F ISHBECK, TONI
ATTANASIO ,
Plaintiffs-Appellees,
v.
DR. MUHAMMAD BAASIRI,
Movant-Appellant,
JAMMAL TRUST B ANK SAL,
Defendant-Appellant.
On Appeal from a Judgment of the United States District Court for
the Eastern District of New York.
ARGUED: MARCH 2, 2023

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D ECIDED: AUGUST 24, 2023
Before: JACOBS , PARK, and NARDINI, Circuit Judges.
A group of American victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq sued
several Lebanese banks for aiding and abetting the Lebanese militant
group Hezbollah in carrying out those attacks. One of the banks,
Jammal Trust Bank (JTB), was later designated a terrorist organization
by the U.S. Treasury Department, sending it into liquidation and
prompting Lebanon’s central bank to acquire its assets. JTB moved to
dismiss the suit against it on the ground that it now possessed foreign
sovereign immunity. The United States District Court for the Eastern
District of New York (Carol Bagley Amon, Judge) denied the motion
on the ground that a defendant is entitled to foreign sovereign
immunity only if it possesses such immunity at the time suit is filed.
We hold that immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act,
28 U.S.C. § 1604, may attach when a defendant becomes an
instrumentality of a foreign sovereign after a suit is filed. We
therefore VACATE and REMAND for a determination of whether JTB
is such an instrumentality.
MICHAEL R ADINE (Gary M. Osen, Dina
Gielchinsky, and Aaron Schlanger, on the
brief), Osen LLC, Hackensack, NJ, for
Plaintiffs-Appellees.
MARK W. D EL AQUIL (David B. Rivkin, Jr.,
Elizabeth Price Foley, and Kendall E.
Wangsgard, on the brief), Baker &

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19
Hostetler LLP, Washington, DC, for
Movant-Appellant and Defendant-Appellant.
Lewis S. Yelin, Attorney, Appellate Staff,
Civil Division, United States Department of
Justice, Washington, DC (Richard C. Visek,
Acting Legal Adviser, Department of State;
Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General; Breon Peace,
United States Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York; Sharon Swingle,
Attorney, Civil Division, United States
Department of Justice, Washington, DC, on
the brief), for Amicus Curiae United States of
America.
Jay S. Auslander (Natalie Shkolnik, Michael
Van Riper, on the brief), Wilk Auslander
LLP, New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae
Professor Joseph W. Dellapenna.
WILLIAM J. NARDINI, Circuit Judge:
The plaintiffs in this case are American service members who
were wounded, and the relatives of service members who were killed
or wounded, in terrorist attacks carried out in Iraq from 2004 to 2011
by proxies of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In 2019, victims

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and their family members sued several Lebanese banks, alleging that
the banks aided and abetted the attacks by laundering money for
Hezbollah.
After the plaintiffs filed suit, the United States Department of
the Treasury labelled one of those banks, Jammal Trust Bank (JTB), a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist. That designation prompted
the Banque du Liban, Lebanon’s central bank, to liquidate JTB and
acquire its assets. JTB then moved to dismiss the case against it, on
the ground that it was now entitled to sovereign immunity as an
instrumentality of Lebanon. The district court denied the motion,
holding that a defendant is entitled to foreign sovereign immunity
only if it possesses such immunity at the time suit is filed. JTB
appealed. We hold that immunity under the Foreign Sovereign
Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1604, may attach when a defendant
becomes an instrumentality of a foreign sovereign after a suit is filed.

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We therefore vacate the district court’s decision and remand for
determination of whether JTB is such an instrumentality.
I. Background
Between 2004 and 2011, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah
armed and trained numerous proxy groups in Iraq with increasingly
sophisticated roadside bombs, grenades, and rockets, which those
groups used to kill and injure thousands of American soldiers.
Hezbollah, which is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,
allegedly coordinated the attacks with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps, which supplied much of the weaponry.
On January 1, 2019, a group of American victims and their
relatives sued eleven Lebanese banks, including JTB, in the United
States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Carol
Bagley Amon, Judge) for allegedly laundering money for Hezbollah.
They brought their claims under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 18 U.S.C.
§ 2333(a) and (d), as amended by the Justice Against Sponsors of
Terrorism Act, Pub. L. No. 114-222, 130 Stat. 852 (2016), which

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authorizes suits against those who aid and abet acts of terrorism. The
plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on August 2, 2019.
On August 29, 2019, the United States Department of the
Treasury named JTB a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The
Treasury Department accused JTB of “brazenly enabling”
Hezbollah’s financial activities and posing a “direct threat to the
integrity of the Lebanese financial system.” Joint App’x at 881.
That designation ended things for JTB. Shut out of the dollar
system, the bank was unable to trade with many of its counterparties
or to carry out other business denominated in dollars. In September,
the Banque du Liban, Lebanon’s central bank, responded by freezing
JTB’s deposits and liquidating its operations. JTB is now undergoing
liquidation under Lebanese law. Movant-Appellant Dr. Muhammad
Baasiri is the central bank’s liquidator.
After the Banque du Liban took over, JTB and Baasiri, acting
separately from the other defendants, moved for (1) substitution of

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Baasiri for JTB or, in the alternative, intervention by Baasiri, and
(2) dismissal, based on (a) Baasiri’s asserted sovereign immunity,
(b) international comity, or (c) lack of redressability as to JTB.
The district court granted Baasiri’s motion to intervene but
denied the motion to substitute and the motion to dismiss. The court
concluded that JTB could not raise sovereign immunity as a defense
because the liquidation process began only after the plaintiffs brought
their suit. It rested that conclusion on the Supreme Court’s decision
in Dole Food Co. v. Patrickson, 538 U.S. 468 (2003), which it read to hold
that “instrumentality status [must] be determined at the time suit is
filed.” Special App’x at 16 (quoting Dole Food, 538 U.S. at 478). JTB
and Baasiri appealed. After oral argument, we solicited the views of
the United States State Department, which submitted an amicus brief.
II. Discussion
The decisive issue in this appeal is whether JTB may raise a
defense of immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
(FSIA), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1602–1611, when it alleges that immunity arose

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after suit was filed.1 We review the district court’s resolution of this
question of law de novo. A&B Alternative Mktg. Inc. v. Int’l Quality Fruit
Inc., 35 F.4th 913, 915 (2d Cir. 2022); Rukoro v. Fed. Republic of Germany,
976 F.3d 218, 223 (2d Cir. 2020).
To determine the effect of the FSIA, one must know something
of the system that came before it. We begin, therefore, as almost all
modern discussions of foreign sovereign immunity do, with The
Schooner Exchange v. McFaddon, 7 Cranch 116 (1812). In that case,
Chief Justice John Marshall explained that foreign sovereigns have no
inherent exemption from the power of American courts, since the
“jurisdiction of the nation within its own territory is necessarily
exclusive and absolute.” Id. at 136. Still, he wrote, it would “degrade
the dignity” of a sovereign state to have its rights adjudicated in the
courts of another country, so, most countries had agreed to waive
1 We have appellate jurisdiction over this appeal because the collateral
order doctrine “allows an immediate appeal from an order denying immunity
under the FSIA.” Petersen Energía Inversora S.A.U. v. Argentine Republic & YPF S.A.,
895 F.3d 194, 203 (2d Cir. 2018) (internal quotation marks omitted).

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jurisdiction over foreign sovereigns. Id. at 137–40. The young United
States, the Chief Justice announced, would do the same. Id. at 147.
This was a matter of “grace and comity,” not power, and of
“common law,” not statute. Verlinden B.V. v. Cent. Bank of Nigeria, 461
U.S. 480, 486 (1983); Samantar v. Yousuf, 560 U.S. 305, 311 (2010).
Although district courts had subject-matter jurisdiction over suits
against foreign states under the Constitution and the diversity statute,
they elected not to exercise it when a defendant was entitled to
immunity. See Argentine Republic v. Amerada Hess Shipping Corp., 488
U.S. 428, 437 n.5 (1989).
For many years, that entitlement was determined by the
executive branch, not the judiciary. See Verlinden, 461 U.S. at 486–87.
In “nearly every action brought against a foreign sovereign,” the State
Department would submit a “suggestion of immunity” and the
receiving court would surrender its jurisdiction over the case.

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Beierwaltes v. L’Office Federale De La Culture De La Confederation Suisse,
999 F.3d 808, 818 (2d Cir. 2021) (cleaned up).
Things started to change in 1952, when the State Department
announced that it would follow the more modern “restrictive” theory
of foreign sovereign immunity. Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S. v. United
States, 143 S. Ct. 940, 946 (2023). In what came to be known as the Tate
Letter, the State Department explained that “the immunity of the
sovereign [would be] recognized with regard to sovereign or public
acts (jure imperii) of a state, but not with respect to private acts (jure
gestionis).” Letter of Jack B. Tate, Acting Legal Adviser, Department
of State, to Acting Attorney General Philip B. Perlman (May 19, 1952),
reprinted in 26 Dep’t of State Bull. 984, 984–85 (1952), and in Alfred
Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Republic of Cuba, 425 U.S. 682, 711–12 (1976)
(Appendix 2 to opinion of the Court).
The Tate Letter threw immunity doctrine “into some disarray.”
Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677, 690 (2004). Although the

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27
State Department continued to file suggestions of immunity, and the
courts continued to respect them, “political considerations”
sometimes led the State Department to support immunity when a
straightforward reading of the restrictive theory would have led it to
oppose. Id. Confusing things still more, if the State Department did
not step in, courts made immunity determinations by themselves,
“generally by reference to prior State Department decisions.”
Verlinden, 461 U.S. at 487. With two branches, having different
institutional considerations, deciding who should be immune and
who should not, “the governing standards were,” unsurprisingly,
“neither clear nor uniformly applied.” Id. at 488.
Twenty-four years after the Tate Letter, Congress brought
order to the chaos. It replaced the old ad hoc system with the Foreign
Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, Pub. L. No. 94–583, 90 Stat. 2891,
which provided a “comprehensive set of legal standards governing
claims of immunity in every civil action against a foreign state.”

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Republic of Argentina v. NML Cap., Ltd., 573 U.S. 134, 141 (2014)
(internal quotation marks omitted). In doing so, it intended to “codify
the restrictive theory of sovereign immunity” laid out in the Tate
Letter, “which Congress recognized as consistent with extant
international law.” Samantar, 560 U.S. at 319–20; see Garb v. Republic
of Poland, 440 F.3d 579, 586 (2d Cir. 2006) (“Congress . . . intended to
codify the Tate Letter.”).
The FSIA provides that “a foreign state shall be immune from
the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States and of the States
except as provided” in the Act. 28 U.S.C. § 1604; Saudi Arabia v.
Nelson, 507 U.S. 349, 355 (1993). Any “agency or instrumentality” of
a foreign state is similarly immune. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1603(a), 1604. The
FSIA defines “agency or instrumentality,” in relevant part, as an
entity “which is an organ of a foreign state or political subdivision
thereof, or a majority of whose shares or other ownership interest is

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owned by a foreign state or political subdivision thereof.” 28 U.S.C.
§ 1603(b)(2).2
The crucial word there—which goes a long way toward
resolving this case—is is. The statute uses the present tense, and we,
in the words of the Supreme Court, must give that choice “real
significance.” Dole Food, 538 U.S. at 478. The parties, however,
disagree on that significance. The plaintiffs argue that a “statute’s use
of the present tense ordinarily refers to the time the suit is filed, not
the time the court rules.” Appellees’ Br. 46–47 (quoting TIG Ins. Co.
v. Republic of Argentina, 967 F.3d 778, 783 (D.C. Cir. 2020)). JTB
counters that a time-of-filing rule would violate the purposes of the
FSIA. The State Department argues that here, the present tense
reflects the FSIA’s concern with “current political realities and
2 The district court did not decide whether JTB is now an instrumentality
of a foreign state under the FSIA. See Bartlett v. Société Générale de Banque au Liban
SAL, No. 19-CV-00007, 2021 WL 3706909, at *8 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2021) (noting that
defendants “claim that they qualify as an ‘agency or instrumentality’ of Lebanon”
without deciding this question).

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30
relationships” and its aim that “foreign states and their
instrumentalities” be given “some present protection from the
inconvenience of suit as a gesture of comity.” Br. of Amicus Curiae
U.S. Department of State 11 (quoting Republic of Austria v. Altmann,
541 U.S. 677, 696 (2004)). We think the State Department has the better
of it: The most natural reading of the statute is one that gives foreign
sovereigns immunity even when they gain their sovereign status mid-
suit. We therefore hold that immunity under the Foreign Sovereign
Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1604, may attach when a defendant
becomes an instrumentality of a foreign sovereign after a suit is filed.
To see why, look first to the structure of the FSIA. The act gives
foreign states immunity not only from judgments, but from process,
too. It shields them from the “expense, intrusiveness, and hassle of
litigation altogether.” Beierwaltes, 999 F.3d at 817 (internal quotation
marks omitted). We see no reason why that protection should apply
only if the defendant had sovereign status from the beginning of the

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suit. The fact that a defendant acquired instrumentality status after
the suit began will not ordinarily justify subjecting a foreign sovereign
to the “inconvenience of suit.” Altmann, 541 U.S. at 696; cf. Zuza v. Off.
of the High Representative, 857 F.3d 935, 938 (D.C. Cir. 2017)
(concluding that foreign official immunity under the International
Organizations Immunities Act, 22 U.S.C. § 288d(b), “compels prompt
dismissal even when it attaches mid-litigation”).
This reading is consistent with other authority3 and dovetails
with the purposes of foreign sovereign immunity. Such immunity
exists for different reasons than “other status-based immunities,”
including the qualified immunity accorded to many state actors. Dole
Food, 538 U.S. at 478–79. Immunity for government officers prevents
3 See Straub v. A P Green, Inc., 38 F.3d 448, 451 (9th Cir. 1994) (suggesting,
but not deciding, that “the FSIA may be applicable if a party that becomes a
‘foreign state’ after the commencement of a lawsuit promptly brings its status as a
‘foreign state’ to the district court’s attention”); cf. Matton v. Brit. Airways Bd., Inc.,
No. 85 CIV. 1268, 1988 WL 117456, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 27, 1988) (holding that a
post-filing privatization of a sovereign instrumentality meant the FSIA no longer
applied because the purposes of foreign sovereign immunity were no longer
implicated). But see Olympia Express, Inc. v. Linee Aeree Italiane, S.p.A., 509 F.3d 347,
349–50 (7th Cir. 2007) (rejecting Matton’s reasoning).

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“the threat of suit from crippling the proper and effective
administration of public affairs.” Id. at 479 (cleaned up). “Foreign
sovereign immunity, by contrast, is not meant to avoid chilling
foreign states . . . in the conduct of their business but to give [them]
some protection from the inconvenience of suit as a gesture of comity
between the United States and other sovereigns.” Id. The immunity
therefore focuses on “current political realities.” Altmann, 541 U.S. at
696; see Republic of Iraq v. Beaty, 556 U.S. 848, 864 (2009) (same). What
matters is whether a foreign sovereign is subject to the burdens of suit
at any point before judgment.
The pre-FSIA history of foreign sovereign immunity likewise
suggests that immunity may kick in after a lawsuit has been filed.
Take the Supreme Court’s decision in Oliver American Trading Co. v.
United States of Mexico, 264 U.S. 440 (1924), which illustrates the need
for immunity to reflect the latest political developments. Oliver
involved a breach of contract suit brought by a Delaware corporation

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33
against the government of Mexico. At the time the company filed suit,
the United States did not recognize the de facto Mexican government
as legitimate, but the United States established diplomatic relations
while the suit was pending. Id. at 442. Once that happened, the
district court held that Mexico was entitled to immunity. Id. The
corporation sought review in the Supreme Court, under a statute
authorizing such direct review of decisions that “present the question
of jurisdiction of the District Court as a federal court.” Id. The
Supreme Court, however, concluded that the question of foreign
sovereign immunity did not implicate “the power of the court” and
transferred the appeal to this Court to proceed in the ordinary course.
Id. at 442–43. We affirmed. Oliver Am. Trading Co. v. Gov’t of the United
States of Mexico, 5 F.2d 659, 667 (2d Cir. 1924). The upshot: In the pre-
FSIA world, a defendant who gained foreign sovereign immunity
after a suit was filed had to be dismissed from the case.4 The FSIA, as
4 Oliver also demonstrates that immunity and jurisdiction did not
necessarily rise and fall together in the pre-FSIA regime. A court could still have

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we have seen, codified the pre-existing common law. Samantar, 560
U.S. at 319–20.
More recently, courts have reached the same conclusion in
other immunity cases. In 2009, the Supreme Court held that when a
2003 presidential designation made an FSIA exception inapplicable to
Iraq, “immunity kicked back in” and then-pending cases had to be
dismissed. Beaty, 556 U.S. at 865. Six years ago, the D.C. Circuit held
that officers of international organizations entitled to immunity under
the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA), 22 U.S.C.
§§ 288 et seq., could invoke that immunity, and compel dismissal, even
when they gained their status only after the suit was filed. Zuza, 857
F.3d at 938. The IOIA, we note, provides that international
organizations enjoy “the same immunity from suit . . . as is enjoyed
jurisdiction even when a defendant gained sovereign immunity after filing and the
court was thereby compelled to dismiss. See Oliver, 264 U.S. at 442 (noting that the
case did not implicate the constitutional or statutory power of the court to
hear the case); Oliver, 5 F.2d at 667 (holding that post-filing diplomatic recognition
conferred immunity on the Mexican government and required dismissal).

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35
by foreign governments.” 22 U.S.C. § 288a(b). And in a case
involving claims against members of the Saudi ruling family, the
Eleventh Circuit held that diplomatic immunity requires dismissal
even when the defendant becomes a diplomat after the action
commences. See Abdulaziz v. Metro. Dade County, 741 F.2d 1328, 1330
(11th Cir. 1984).
With structure, purpose, and history arrayed against them, the
plaintiffs argue that Supreme Court precedent is nevertheless on their
side. They contend that the Court’s statement in Dole Food that
“instrumentality status is determined at the time of the filing of the
complaint” forecloses changes in status after filing. Dole Food, 538 U.S.
at 480. We disagree. In Dole Food, a group of farm workers from Costa
Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Panama sued the Dole Food Company
(and several others) over alleged injuries from exposure to a chemical
used as an agricultural pesticide. Id. at 471. Some of the defendants
moved to dismiss, arguing that they were instrumentalities of Israel

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when the alleged conduct took place, although not at the time the suit
was brought. Id. at 471–72. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to
decide “whether a corporation’s instrumentality status is defined as
of the time an alleged tort or other actionable wrong occurred or, on
the other hand, at the time suit is filed.” Id. at 471.
The answer, the Court held, is that “instrumentality status is
determined at the time of the filing of the complaint,” not at the time
the wrong occurred. Id. at 480. The Court reasoned that “the plain
text” of § 1603(b)(2) is “expressed in the present tense,” id. at 478. It
also invoked “the longstanding principle that the jurisdiction of the
Court depends upon the state of things at the time of the action
brought.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Giving the
companies immunity for a status they no longer held would, the
Court concluded, do nothing to advance the purpose of foreign
sovereign immunity—protecting sovereigns from “the inconvenience
of suit as a gesture of comity”—because, once the defendants had

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37
ceased to be instrumentalities of a foreign state, no foreign sovereign
was involved. Id. at 479.
The situation here is flipped: The defendant claims to have
gained sovereign status after filing, rather than losing it before. The
logic of Dole Food, applied to these facts, supports the mirror-image
outcome: Although pre-suit sovereign immunity cannot be retained
by a no-longer-sovereign defendant, sovereign status acquired post-
filing can confer immunity. That result gives the FSIA’s use of the
present tense “real significance,” as Dole Food instructed. 538 U.S. at
478. It also accords with Dole Food’s explanation of the purposes
behind foreign sovereign immunity, which exists to protect foreign
sovereigns from “the inconvenience of suit,” and not, as with
qualified immunity, to shape conduct ex ante. Id. at 479.
The plaintiffs object that Dole Food gave us a clear rule, and as a
lower court, we are bound by it. But opinions are not statutes. They
should not be read as if they were. See Reiter v. Sonotone Corp., 442

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38
U.S. 330, 341 (1979). The Supreme Court has “often admonished that
general language in judicial opinions should be read as referring in
context to circumstances similar to the circumstances then before the
Court and not referring to quite different circumstances that the Court
was not then considering.” Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S. v. United States,
143 S. Ct. 940, 950 (2023) (internal quotation marks omitted).5
Read in context, the statement in Dole Food does not support the
plaintiffs’ position. The Dole Food court had occasion to consider only
two options: setting instrumentality status at the time of the allegedly
wrongful conduct or setting it at the time the suit was brought. 538
U.S. at 471. The Court did not consider—and has not since
5 Turkiye Halk Bankasi provides a nice example of the need for caution in
reading broad judicial statements in the FSIA context. The case concerned the
criminal prosecution of a Turkish bank for conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions.
143 S. Ct. at 943. The bank, which was wholly owned by the Republic of Turkey,
argued that the FSIA gave it immunity from prosecution, claiming that no FSIA
exception applied to it and pointing to the Supreme Court’s statement in a 1989
case that the FSIA is the “sole basis for obtaining jurisdiction over a foreign state
in federal court.” Id. at 950 (quoting Argentine Republic v. Amerada Hess Shipping
Corp., 488 U.S. 428, 439 (1989)). That language, the bank said, was definitive. But
the Court, noting that Amerada Hess was a civil, not a criminal, case, concluded that
its logic did not “translate to the criminal context.” Id.

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considered—the immunity of a defendant who gains sovereign status
after the suit begins. That question, as we have explained, raises quite
different concerns from the ones the Court faced in Dole Food.
The plaintiffs point to two statements from this Court that they
argue support their reading of Dole Food. First, in 2014, citing Dole
Food, we observed in a footnote that “the court’s subject matter
jurisdiction and a party’s instrumentality status for purposes of § 1603
are both determined at the time when the complaint is filed.”
European Cmty. v. RJR Nabisco, Inc., 764 F.3d 129, 143 n.15 (2d Cir.
2014), rev’d on other grounds, 579 U.S. 325 (2016). The plaintiff in RJR
Nabisco was the European Community (EC), which was incorporated
into the European Union after the suit was brought, a change that the
Court said was irrelevant given Dole Food. Id. That holding, the
plaintiffs argue, ties our hands.
We disagree. For one thing, the case lacks precedential status,
as the Supreme Court reversed the judgment. Even if the decision

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had not been reversed, the footnote’s cursory incantation of Dole Food
would not bind us, since the opinion’s reference to “instrumentality
status” related not to immunity, but only to determining diversity
jurisdiction where the sovereign was a plaintiff. RJR Nabisco, 764 F.3d
at 143. Because 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(4) creates jurisdiction over suits
between “a foreign state . . . as plaintiff and citizens of a State,” the
district court had diversity jurisdiction only if the EC was a foreign
state or an instrumentality of one. RJR Nabisco, 764 F.3d at 143. We
thus considered the EC’s instrumentality status to establish
jurisdiction; we did not consider the EC’s potential immunity,
because the EC was the plaintiff. See id.6
The plaintiffs also point to a 2004 case in which we said that
Dole Food had “unequivocally” held that instrumentality status under
6 RJR Nabisco thus considered neither the effect of a post-filing change in
instrumentality status on jurisdiction in a federal question case, such as this one,
nor in a diversity jurisdiction suit brought against a foreign state under 28 U.S.C.
§ 1330, which provides diversity jurisdiction in cases against foreign states that are
not immune under the FSIA.

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the FSIA is “determined at the time of the filing of the complaint.”
Abrams v. Société Nationale Des Chemins De Fer Francais, 389 F.3d 61, 64
(2d Cir. 2004). But Abrams cited Dole Food only to establish that an
entity nationalized pre-suit was entitled to immunity even though the
nationalization took place after the conduct at issue. Id. (“Once the
railroad is encompassed by the FSIA, its prior incarnation as a private
entity does not bar the statute’s retroactive application.”). That
application of Dole Food is not at issue in this case.
Finally, the plaintiffs caution that allowing post-filing changes
in sovereign status will encourage gamesmanship. Those are real
concerns. Take, for example, TIG Insurance Co. v. Republic of Argentina,
967 F.3d 778 (D.C. Cir. 2020). In that case, an insurance company tried
to execute a judgment against Argentina by attaching a house the
country owned in Washington, D.C. Id. at 780. Argentina had listed
the house for sale, but as soon as the company sought to attach the
property to satisfy its judgment, Argentina took it off the market. Id.

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The parties then disputed whether the building was still in
commercial use, and thus within one of the FSIA’s exceptions. Id. The
D.C. Circuit held that commercial status had to be determined at the
time the attachment was filed. Id. at 782. The court noted that the
relevant statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1610(a), did not use the present tense, and
it worried about creating an incentive for foreign sovereigns “to halt
any commercial use of a property as soon as a creditor sought to
attach it.” Id. at 782–83, 785. Those concerns are absent in this case.
It was the U.S. designation of JTB as a terrorist organization, not any
attempt by Lebanon to avoid this lawsuit, that forced the bank into
liquidation and public receivership.
III. Conclusion
In sum, we hold as follows:
1. Immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act,
28 U.S.C. § 1604, may attach when a defendant becomes
an instrumentality of a foreign sovereign after a suit is

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filed. We remand for the district court to determine
whether JTB is now such an instrumentality.
2. Given that holding, we need not reach appellants’
alternative argument that the district court erred in not
substituting Baasiri for JTB.
We therefore VACATE the judgment of the district court and
REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

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