Ex-mayor defeats torturer in court

[struggle4progress]

Posted on Sat, Feb. 10, 2007

Former Lafayette councilman helped win $19 million case for three Haitian women against paramilitary squad leader
By Katherine Tam
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Ivor Samson, mild-mannered champion of Lafayette's "tradition of civility," has been wading deep in high-stakes politics and international intrigue ...

But between the meetings and neighborhood gatherings, the attorney and mayor of this quiet hillside suburb faced off against the mastermind of one of Haiti's most feared torture squads - and won.

The reward: $19 million for three Haitian women whom a court determined were raped and beaten more than a decade ago ...

It began in 2004 when the Center for Justice and Accountability, a San Francisco human rights group, sued <Haitian torture squad leader Emmanuel "Toto"> Constant, alleging torture, attempted murder and other crimes. The nonprofit group sought to partner with a law firm big enough to help build the case ...

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/16669833.htm