Americans can sue Germany for WWI bonds

A US court of appeals said Germany can be sued by Florida investors seeking reimbursement for post-World War I reconstruction bonds that German dictator Adolph Hitler defaulted on in the 1930s, according to an attorney for the plaintiffs, Agence France-Presse reported.

World Holdings LLC, based in Tampa, Fla., claims it owns a “significant number” of $208 million in bonds sold to US purchasers following the Great War and has been unsuccessful in obtaining reimbursement from the German government, according to Bloomberg.

“The court decided that the complaint filed against Germany can proceed to discovery and that the case should not be dismissed because Germany is a ‘foreign sovereign,’” said Michael Elsner, who represents World Holdings in the case.