Damages sought against Arab Bank in US terror case as judge looks to streamline legal battle

A U.S. judge is looking for ways to streamline the decade-old legal battle over claims that Jordan-based Arab Bank aided terrorism.

In September, a New York City jury found the bank liable in suicide bombings in Israel. A lawyer for some plaintiffs in a 2004 lawsuit against the bank said at a hearing Friday that they now want a second jury to decide damages.

Judge Brian Cogan says he'll allow the damages phase to go forward. But he suggested that appointing a special master to determine compensation could get quicker results. He postponed making an immediate decision.

The bank is mounting an appeal of the September verdict, which found it liable in a wave of Hamas-sanctioned attacks in the early 2000s that left several Americans dead or wounded.