Any comments the suit filed against FBF and 7 other corporations over slavery? I'm in New England (FleetLand) and the radio talk shows are hot on discussing this today:
U.S. Firms Face Lawsuit Over Slave Labor - Paper
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET - news), CSX Corp. (NYSE:CSX - news) and FleetBoston Financial Corp. (NYSE:FBF - news) are named as defendants in a lawsuit expected to be filed on Tuesday seeking reparations for slavery, USA Today reported on Monday.
According to a draft of the complaint obtained by the newspaper, the three corporations are accused by a New York legal researcher and activist of ``unjustly'' profiting from slavery and seeks unspecified damages.
The complaint, to be filed in U.S. District Court in New York, also asks for restitution for unpaid slave labor and a share of corporate profits derived from slavery, the newspaper said.
The plaintiff, Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, will ask the court to bring the case to a jury on behalf of all African-Americans who can claim slaves as forebears, the report said.
Aetna, the nation's largest health insurer, has acknowledged issuing life insurance policies on slaves, naming their owners as beneficiaries, the newspaper said. Fleet's earliest predecessor bank was founded by John Brown, a notorious Rhode Island slave trader, and CSX owns early rail lines built by slaves, according to the newspaper.
CSX spokeswoman Kathy Burns told USA Today there was ``no legal basis'' for the lawsuit. ``It is an unfortunate misuse of the legal system to attempt to address issues well over a century old at the expense of today's workers and stockholders,'' she said.
The report said Aetna responded with a statement saying it had already expressed ``deep regret'' for issuing slave policies, while Fleet declined comment.
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