DiCello Levitt Partner Scott Gilmore Secures Ruling Confirming Syria Must Pay Judgment and Post-Judgment Interest Despite Change in Government
WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ruled that the Syrian Arab Republic remains legally obligated to satisfy the $302 million judgment entered over the targeted killing of American journalist Marie Colvin, despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the establishment of a new Syrian government.
In a September 1, 2026, order, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson confirmed that the judgment “remains binding on the Syrian Arab Republic, despite any change in the form or leadership of the government in Syria.” The court also confirmed that Syria remains responsible for mandatory post-judgment interest, which plaintiffs’ counsel calculates now exceeds $60 million and will continue to accrue until the judgment is paid.
“This ruling sends a simple message: a change in government does not erase a country’s legal obligations,” said DiCello Levitt Partner Scott Gilmore, lead counsel for the Colvin family. “As Syria seeks renewed economic and financial relationships with the United States, it cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of that relationship while ignoring a lawful U.S. judgment arising from the assassination of an American journalist.”
The ruling follows the collapse of the Assad government in late 2024 and the establishment of a transitional government in Syria. The United States has since taken significant steps to normalize economic relations with the country, including lifting broad sanctions.
The Colvin family returned to court after Syria’s new authorities indicated that they did not believe they were responsible for a judgment entered against the former government.
Judge Jackson rejected that position. The court held that the judgment runs against the Syrian Arab Republic itself, not any particular government, and cited longstanding legal principles establishing that a change in political leadership does not eliminate a country’s existing legal obligations.
The Killing of American Journalist Marie Colvin and the 2019 Judgment
Colvin, an acclaimed American war correspondent for The Sunday Times, was killed in Homs, Syria, on February 22, 2012, while reporting on attacks against civilians during the Syrian civil war.
Evidence presented in the case established that Syrian officials tracked Colvin through electronic surveillance and informants, located the makeshift media center where she was reporting, and deliberately shelled the location. French photographer Rémi Ochlik was also killed, and several other journalists were wounded.
In 2019, Judge Jackson found Syria responsible for Colvin’s extrajudicial killing and entered a $302 million judgment. The court found that Colvin had been specifically targeted because of her work as a journalist and that the attack was intended to silence reporting on the Syrian government’s actions.
“For Marie’s family, this case has always been about accountability,” Gilmore said. “Syria’s political leadership may have changed, but its obligations have not. If the new government wants to build a new relationship with the United States and the international community, resolving outstanding judgments like this one must be part of that process.”
The case is Colvin v. Syrian Arab Republic, No. 1:16-cv-01423, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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