AGING VICTIMS OF NAZIS SUE HOLOCAUST COMMISSION.Byline: Staff and Wire Services The international commission that is supposed to help victims of Nazis collect on insurance policies was sued Thursday by two Holocaust survivors There are many famous Holocaust survivors who survived the Nazi genocides in Europe and went on to achievements of great fame and notability. Those listed here were, at the very least, residents of the parts of Europe occupied by the Axis powers during World War II who survived - one from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , the other from Covina - who say it has worked to deny decades-old claims. The lawsuit in state court accuses the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) was established in August 1998 to identify, settle, and pay individual Holocaust era insurance claims at no cost to claimants. , which was formed five years ago to resolve claims from survivors and their heirs, of unfair business practices. European insurers have been sued for refusing to honor many pre-World War II life insurance policies because there was no documentation of the policyholders' deaths. Members of the commission, which is headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, say they have loosened restrictions on honoring insurance claims and extended deadlines for filing claims. In a written statement Thursday, Eagleburger said the commission would respond to lawsuits ``when, where and as appropriate.'' In the lawsuit, Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
v. ac·cused, ac·cus·ing, ac·cus·es v.tr. 1. To charge with a shortcoming or error. 2. To charge formally with a wrongdoing. v.intr. the commission of conspiring with Italian insurance giant Assicurazioni Generali Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A. is the largest insurance company of Italy.[1] It is headquartered in Trieste. Under the name of Imperial Regia Privilegiata Compagnia di Assicurazioni Generali Austro-Italiche, the company was founded on December 26, 1831. to reduce the firm's potential payout pay·out n. 1. The act or an instance of paying out. 2. A percentage of corporate earnings that is paid as dividends to shareholders. to Holocaust victims While victims of the Holocaust were primarily Jews, the Nazis also persecuted and often killed millions of members of other groups they considered inferior, undesirable or dangerous. from $1 billion to a mere $100 million. The insurer also is facing about 20 federal lawsuits. Steinberg, who spent six years in Polish and German concentration camps, said he has been rebuffed for decades in his attempt to get payment from Generali, which contends that his father's policy didn't exist. ``This has been going on for years and years and years,'' he said in an interview. ``They said I didn't have a policy. They denied it not only to me, but to all the camp survivors.'' Steinberg, who owns homes in Palm Springs and West Hills, said he is seeking justice, not just monetary compensation. Generali has fattened itself with profits while denying legitimate Holocaust-era claims, he said. Brauns, a Dachau survivor, said he has been trying since 1945 to collect on a $2,000 annuity annuity: see insurance. annuity Payment made at a fixed interval. A common example is the payment received by retirees from their pension plan. There are two main classes of annuities: annuities certain and contingent annuities. from Generali. He said he visited the company's Rome headquarters in 1961, after moving to California, and was told there was no record of his annuity. ``It was like I didn't ever exist,'' Brauns said in a telephone interview. ``I'm not talking about money. It's a question of principle.'' The men contend that the international commission has aided Generali in seeking dismissal of lawsuits filed against the insurer by California survivors and their heirs. They seek a court order for the commission to extend a deadline for filing claims and to publish on its Web site the names of an estimated 100,000 policyholders that Generali acknowledges existed. At a congressional hearing Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings — a procedure unique to the Senate — legislative, oversight, investigative, or a this month, Eagleburger testified that the commission has spent $56 million on itself - 60 percent more than the $35 million that insurance companies had offered to settle 2,600 claims. Payment offers have been received on only about 5 percent of the 54,000 claims submitted, he said. Many Holocaust survivors, including Brauns, say the commission has withheld payments because it is funded by the same insurance companies that stand to lose money through payouts to survivors. ``(Eagleburger) was getting money from the insurance companies deciding who to pay and who not to pay - so why would he worry about me?'' Brauns asked. In his written statement, Eagleburger said the international commission has paid millions of dollars in claims and set aside more than $130 million for the social welfare of Holocaust survivors. The commission ``is continuing these efforts to bring some measure of justice to Holocaust survivors and their heirs,'' Eagleburger wrote. Christopher Carnicelli, president of Generali in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , called the lawsuit groundless. ``The lawsuit is baseless, misleading and does not reflect that reality that thousands of individual claimants ... have (been) and will continue to be paid and offered generous amounts through (the commission),'' he said. ``Generali's focus will remain on resolving Holocaust-era claims as fairly and expeditiously ex·pe·di·tious adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency. See Synonyms at fast1. ex as possible.'' The insurance commission is funded by Generali and other large European insurers and includes representatives of the companies, survivor organizations, the Israeli government and state insurance commissioners from California, New York and Florida, where many Holocaust survivors live. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Nazi victims Manny Steinberg, left, and Dr. Jack Brauns announce a lawsuit Thursday against a claims commission. Lee Celano/Associated Press |
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