WASHINGTON — In a plea for what is claimed to be justice, a House panel pushed ahead legislation Wednesday that would allow thousands of alleged Holocaust survivors in the United States to sue European insurance companies for benefits they estimate total 20 billion dollars.
The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a bill by voice vote that would give the survivors access to U.S. courts and force companies such as Germany's Allianz SE and Italy's Assicurazioni Generali to disclose lists of policies held by Jews before World War II. Among the policies are life insurance, annuities and even dowries that Jewish families purchased for their daughters, envisioning that they would receive the money upon turning 18.