US Supreme Court to hear Cuban land claims cases

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in two cases to determine whether decades-old losses from Cuba can be obtained by two U.S. businesses. Havana Docks Corporation v. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Exxon Mobil v. Corporacion Cimex challenged laws that allowed U.S. citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who trafficked in property that was confiscated by the Cuban government on or after Jan. 1, 1959. The law also gives the president power to suspend the right to bring a lawsuit when he has concerns over national interests and the transition to democracy in Cuba. President Donald Trump decided not to suspend the lawsuit in 2019. Jordan Von Borken, senior counsel at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, said President Barack Obama's loosened restrictions and Trump's decision not to renew lawsuit suspension allowed U.S. companies to pursue legal action against Cuba. However, in 2016, several cruise lines began using a set of docks that the Havana Docks c