The Nando Times: ANALYSIS: Can a trillion-dollar lawsuit stop Saudi terror-cash flow? ..... U.S. law allows victims of terror attacks to recover from assets held in the U.S. by foreign sponsors of terrorism identified by the State Department. Mr. Gerson says the trillion-dollar figure comes from multiplying the 3,000 victims in the Sept. 11 attacks by the average of $30 million recovered in such suits and then multiplying it by three as allowed under U.S. law that provides for triple damages for terror victims.

And that is the key problem with this lawsuit. In order to work properly, it's not enough that they're suing individuals (most of whom are, after all, dead) and organizations. They're also specifically citing the government of Saudi Arabia, or at least members of its family and officials. In order to succeed under US law, Saudi Arabia would need to be formally identified as a state sponsor of terrorism by our own State Department. While nobody at State has any significant doubts about the matter, for policy reasons, Saudi Arabia is highly unlikely to be added to that list now or in the near future. Given the law, what's likely to happen is that the court will simply sever the Saudi officials from the suit -- as officials of a country not cited, they cannot be included and otherwise allow it to proceed. Unfortunately, that will have the effect of undoing the stated goal of the suit; it will leave the people with the money in a position to continue doing what they do. Assuming, of course, that they are funding terrorist organizations as has been alleged by various sources.

"We have justice and morality on our side," said Thomas Burnett Sr. ... As may be, but what they do not have on their site, at least not completely, is the law itself.