Slavery law suit

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I read today that insurance organisation Lloyd's of London is being sued by some people who claim to be descended from slaves. See story here.

They say the because Lloyd's insured the slaving ships that they should pay damages for the subsequent suffering these people endured.

Whilst I am of the opinion that slavery was terrible, does a lawsuit of this nature have any basis in law? Also, is there any point to it after so much time?

 

I, for one, see no point in sueing the company. I am of Irish descent, and I am sure there were family members of mine on one of those ships too, and many other people's relatives brought here and used as slaves who aren't looking to get rich by bringing up the past which is just that, the past!! So why not let by-gons be by-gones? As for their remark of not having a Nationality/ethnicity , what is wrong with being accepted as: American???

 

Listen, bub, just because you're Member of the Week, that doesn't give you the right to go around suggesting that people should be willing to publicly humiliate themselves

But seriously, IMO it's just another example of people trying to make a quick buck by suing somebody with deep pockets. Of course the slave trade was a tragedy, but surely if they want to sue someone, there must be a better target than a company that insured the boats 300 years ago.

[ March 30, 2004, 16:51: Message edited by: Splunge ]

 

Just a few slick folks trying to make an easy buck. Perhaps in the US they actually have a chance of going into court with this, stranger things have happened overthere, but overhere in the Netherlands nobody would waste any time on something as insane as this.

 

It probably will be thrown out of court. It's a waste of time even bringing up the case. How does the company that insures boats responsible for the slave trade? Did they even know the insured boats had slaves on them? It seems like there are more responsible entities than the insurance company at any rate. Just like the McDonald's case when someone sued them because they were obese from eating their food...

 

@ Splunge, Member of the Week has nothing to do with it!

It has to do with the fact that the only (and stupid in my opinion) reason those people are doing this is because they want money fast, yet are unwilling to sue the government of the lands that they apparently came from, who are just as, if not more guilty because they sold their own people to these 'slavers' to get a profit.

Now the descendants live here, have an equal chance to have anything they want, and still think that this company owes them a living ? I do not think so!!!

I work (as many others here do), pay taxes, and get descriminated against equally as much as any other, but I do not bring my Irish descent into it, as that to me is the past, and I don't feel that what was done to my 300 year old ancestors affects me in the 'now', and do not believe anyone owes me a living.