Overview
Case Number: No. 26-341 (2d Cir.), on appeal from S.D.N.Y. No. 16-3228
Practice Area: Appeals & Complex Briefing
Case Status: Pending
Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Berger Montague represents amici curiae — four leading African human rights organizations — in this landmark Second Circuit appeal arising from a federal jury verdict finding that BNP Paribas, S.A. aided and abetted the Sudanese government’s genocide against the people of Darfur, in which an estimated 300,000 people were killed.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein presided over the trial in the Southern District of New York, where a jury found BNP Paribas liable under Swiss law for its role in enabling the Sudanese government’s genocide. The case is now on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On August 28, 2026, Berger Montague filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Centre of Applied Legal Studies, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, the Pan African Lawyers Union, and the Foundation for Human Rights, urging the court to affirm the jury’s verdict.
Read more about this case:
· 2026 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year award. Watch the video here.
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Kashef v. BNP Paribas, S.A. FAQs
What is Kashef v. BNP Paribas about?
Kashef v. BNP Paribas, S.A. was brought by Sudanese genocide survivors, now U.S. citizens, who allege that BNP Paribas helped the Government of Sudan evade U.S. and international sanctions during the Darfur genocide, in which an estimated 300,000 people were killed. A federal jury found BNP Paribas liable, and the bank has appealed the verdict to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
What is Berger Montague’s role in the case?
Berger Montague represents four African human rights organizations — the Centre of Applied Legal Studies, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, the Pan African Lawyers Union, and the Foundation for Human Rights — as amici curiae. On August 28, 2026, the firm filed a brief in the Second Circuit supporting the plaintiffs and urging the court to reject BNP Paribas’s position that no financial institution can ever be held liable for aiding and abetting genocide.
What happens next?
The Second Circuit will consider the parties’ and amici’s briefing on BNP Paribas’s appeal of the jury verdict. The amicus brief filed by Berger Montague asks the court to affirm the district court’s judgment in favor of the plaintiffs.
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