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Lawsuit filed to bankrupt Sept. 11 suspects

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all those killed, naming Osama bin Laden, his al Qaeda organization and the Taliban among the defendants.

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Hoping to financially cripple bin Laden and other suspects, seven families filed the suit Tuesday in a federal court in Washington. They have asked the court to assess damages against the terrorists and against all those who supported or aided their activities.

The plaintiffs have asked the court to award damages sufficient to ensure the terrorists are financially unable ever to commit such acts again. Their complaint seeks a judgment against the terrorists in excess of $1 billion for compensatory damages, and calls for punitive damages in excess of $100 billion.

"Our goal is simple. We want to prevent all those responsible for our losses from ever inflicting such pain upon others," said Fiona Havlish, one of the plaintiffs. Her husband, Donald Havlish Jr., was at work on the 101st floor of the south tower when he was killed

"We seek to deprive them of the financial means to ever commit such acts again," she said. "This is not about financial recovery. ... I will do everything I can to bankrupt all terrorists."

Plaintiffs and their lawyers stress they will not seek damages against any American businesses, corporations or individuals.

But the 93-page complaint names as defendants 141 institutions, individuals, organizations and businesses that the U.S. State Department has identified as sponsoring or financing terrorist activity.

The complaint also names Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged with conspiracy so far in the September 11 attacks, as a defendant. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran are named as conspirators that provided material support to the terrorists.

The named plaintiffs are Fiona Havlish, Clara Chirchirillo, Russa Steiner, Tara Bane, Grace Parkinson-Goldshalk, Ellen Saracini and Theresann Lostrangio.