Historic Human Rights Verdict Against Global Bank

A Manhattan federal jury awarded more than $20 million to three Sudanese genocide survivors in a landmark class action bellwether trial holding BNP Paribas accountable for financing crimes against humanity.

Callout image for lawsuit against BNP Paribas reads A landmark verdict establishing that financial institutions can be held civilly liable for enabling genocide.

On October 17, 2025, a Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas liable for its role in enabling the genocidal atrocities committed against Black African civilians in Sudan by the al-Bashir dictatorship. Tried before the Hon. Alvin Hellerstein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the five-week trial culminated in a $20.75 million bellwether verdict for three Sudanese refugees, paving the way for more than 20,000 class members to pursue over $100 billion more in recovery.

The jury’s decision marked the first-ever jury verdict against a global bank for funding genocide, setting a powerful precedent for financial accountability in international human rights cases.

*Scene from the landmark federal trial before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York.*

How BNP Paribas Helped Fund a Genocidal Regime

From 1997 to 2007, BNP Paribas served as the de facto central bank of Sudan, violating U.S. sanctions by funneling billions of dollars through its Geneva office to Sudan’s government during the height of the Darfur conflict. These transactions gave the regime access to U.S. dollars used to fund a campaign of ethnic cleansing, displacement, mass murder, rape, and torture against non-Arab African communities.

Plaintiffs alleged—and the jury agreed—that BNP Paribas’ financial services were a “natural and adequate cause” of the harm that they suffered. The bank’s conduct, they argued, allowed Sudan’s leaders to purchase weapons, sustain its oil-driven war economy, and carry out systematic human rights abuses that forced survivors from their homes.

A Landmark Jury Verdict Against a Global Bank

DiCello Levitt was brought into this case, which was litigated for more than ten years, less than 70 days before trial. Our firm was chosen for our trial team’s proven ability to step into complex, high-stakes litigation and win. Working alongside three other law firms, DiCello Levitt’s trial team, led by Bobby DiCello as lead counsel, proved BNP Paribas supported the genocidal aspirations of the government of Sudan leveraging the bank’s own admissions on cross examination that it knowingly violated U.S. sanctions.

The five-week trial concluded with the jury awarding $6.7 million to Abulgasim Abdalla, $7.3 million to Entesar Osman Kashef, and $6.75 million to Turjuman Adam. The verdict affirmed that financial institutions that aid foreign nations in evading U.S. sanctions by offering financial services that enable human rights abuses and war crimes will be held accountable in U.S. courts.

Scene from the landmark federal trial before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York, where a Manhattan jury delivered the first-ever verdict holding a global bank liable for financing genocide. Bobby DiCello gives the plaintiffs' opening argument. — *Scene from the landmark federal trial before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York.*

Justice for Survivors, Precedent for the World

This decision demonstrates how the U.S. justice system can be used to empower survivors of genocide whose suffering was financed by a global bank that conspired with a murderous dictator to evade U.S. sanctions.

For DiCello Levitt, the verdict represents both a moral and legal milestone—proof that corporate actors can be brought to justice for fueling atrocities and a reminder of why our firm tries the hardest cases when accountability matters most.

This case is Kashef, et al. v. BNP Paribas, et al. The DiCello Levitt trial team was led by Lead Trial Counsel Bobby DiCello and included Ken Abbarno, Greg Gutzler, Carrie Syme, Mark DiCello, Adam Levitt, Joseph Frate, and Madeline Harding.

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