Christic Institute
Encyclopedia
The Christic Institute was a public interest law
firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan, his wife, Sara Nelson and their partner, William J. Davis, who was a Jesuit priest. Its headquarters were based in Washington, D.C.
with several offices in other major United States cities, such as San Francisco, California
. The Institute received some of its funding from the New World Foundation
.
The institute first gained national prominence in a successful lawsuit against the Kerr-McGee
Nuclear Power Company, representing Karen Silkwood
, a battle that was later made into the motion picture, Silkwood
. The firm also won a civil verdict against members of the Ku Klux Klan
, the American Nazi Party
, and the Greensboro, North Carolina
Police Department for the 1979 murder of five anti-Klan demonstrators.
The law firm's most high-profile case was Avirgan v. Hull, filed on behalf of journalists Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey against more than two dozen individuals, some of whom were to emerge as figures in the Iran-Contra scandals. Avirgan was present at the La Penca bombing
of a press conference being held by Nicaraguan Contra
leader Edén Pastora
. Three journalists were killed and Pastora and Avirgan were among the wounded. In 1985, Avirgan and Honey charged a reputed CIA contract employee, John Floyd Hull, of being involved in the La Penca bombing. Hull unsuccessfully sued the reporters for defamation, who had retained the Institute's Sheehan as counsel. Shortly afterward, Sheehan and the Institute brought a massive Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO) suit, charging that the La Penca bombing was a result of a conspiracy carried out by a "secret team
" that had operated since the 1950s outside the control of government oversight. Days before the trial was to begin, Judge James Lawrence King
dismissed the case, claiming Christic's attorneys had failed to present evidence against the man identified in the suit as the bomber. Following an unsuccessful appeal, Christic was ordered to pay over $1 million in court costs for the defendants, effectively bankrupting the firm.
In the wake of the dismissal, Christic attorneys and Honey and Avirgan traded accusations over who was to blame for the failure of the case. Avirgan complained that Sheehan had handled matters poorly by chasing unsubstantiated "wild allegations" and conspiracy theories
, rather than paying attention to core factual issues. Avirgan and Honey eventually claimed that the bombing was carried out by an Argentinian
working under the direction of the Sandinista government of Nicaragua
.
As of 2011, Sheehan and Nelson were serving as President and Executive Director of the The Romero Institute, a public interest law firm and alternative public policy think tank. Sheehan is also a witness for the Disclosure Project.
The graphic novel
Brought to Light
by writers Alan Moore
and Joyce Brabner
used material from lawsuits filed by the Christic Institute.
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan, his wife, Sara Nelson and their partner, William J. Davis, who was a Jesuit priest. Its headquarters were based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with several offices in other major United States cities, such as San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The Institute received some of its funding from the New World Foundation
New World Foundation
The New World Foundation is a liberal foundation, based in New York. It dispenses funds to liberal advocacy groups. It was founded in 1954 by Anita McCormick Blaine, an heiress to industrialist Cyrus Hall McCormick and a supporter of Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential campaign...
.
The institute first gained national prominence in a successful lawsuit against the Kerr-McGee
Kerr-McGee
The Kerr-McGee Corporation, founded in 1929, was an energy company involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas. On June 23, 2006, Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation agreed to acquire Kerr-McGee in an all-cash transaction totaling $16.5 billion plus the assumption of $2.6...
Nuclear Power Company, representing Karen Silkwood
Karen Silkwood
Karen Gay Silkwood was an American labor union activist and chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plant near Crescent, Oklahoma, United States. Silkwood's job was making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods...
, a battle that was later made into the motion picture, Silkwood
Silkwood
Silkwood is a 1983 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was inspired by the true-life story of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident while investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she...
. The firm also won a civil verdict against members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, the American Nazi Party
American Nazi Party
The American Nazi Party was an American political party founded by discharged U.S. Navy Commander George Lincoln Rockwell. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Rockwell initially called it the World Union of Free Enterprise National Socialists , but later renamed it the American Nazi Party in...
, and the Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
Police Department for the 1979 murder of five anti-Klan demonstrators.
The law firm's most high-profile case was Avirgan v. Hull, filed on behalf of journalists Tony Avirgan and Martha Honey against more than two dozen individuals, some of whom were to emerge as figures in the Iran-Contra scandals. Avirgan was present at the La Penca bombing
La Penca bombing
The "La Penca bombing" refers to a bomb attack on May 30, 1984, in the guerilla outpost of La Penca in Nicaragua, near the Costa Rican border. The bomb attack occurred during a press conference being conducted by Edén Pastora, a Contra leader, who is presumed to have been the target...
of a press conference being held by Nicaraguan Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
leader Edén Pastora
Edén Pastora
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change party in the 2006 general elections...
. Three journalists were killed and Pastora and Avirgan were among the wounded. In 1985, Avirgan and Honey charged a reputed CIA contract employee, John Floyd Hull, of being involved in the La Penca bombing. Hull unsuccessfully sued the reporters for defamation, who had retained the Institute's Sheehan as counsel. Shortly afterward, Sheehan and the Institute brought a massive Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO) suit, charging that the La Penca bombing was a result of a conspiracy carried out by a "secret team
Secret Team
The Secret Team, or ST, is a phrase coined by L. Fletcher Prouty in 1973, alleging a covert alliance between the United States' military, intelligence, and private sectors to influence political decisions.-Origins:...
" that had operated since the 1950s outside the control of government oversight. Days before the trial was to begin, Judge James Lawrence King
James Lawrence King
James Lawrence King is the senior United States federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and one of the longest serving federal judges in the entire United States....
dismissed the case, claiming Christic's attorneys had failed to present evidence against the man identified in the suit as the bomber. Following an unsuccessful appeal, Christic was ordered to pay over $1 million in court costs for the defendants, effectively bankrupting the firm.
In the wake of the dismissal, Christic attorneys and Honey and Avirgan traded accusations over who was to blame for the failure of the case. Avirgan complained that Sheehan had handled matters poorly by chasing unsubstantiated "wild allegations" and conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
, rather than paying attention to core factual issues. Avirgan and Honey eventually claimed that the bombing was carried out by an Argentinian
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
working under the direction of the Sandinista government of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
As of 2011, Sheehan and Nelson were serving as President and Executive Director of the The Romero Institute, a public interest law firm and alternative public policy think tank. Sheehan is also a witness for the Disclosure Project.
The graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Brought to Light
Brought to Light
Brought to Light: Thirty Years of Drug Smuggling, Arms Deals, and Covert Action is an anthology of two political graphic novels, published originally by Eclipse Comics in 1988. Both are based on material from lawsuits filed by the Christic Institute against the US Government...
by writers Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Joyce Brabner
Joyce Brabner
Joyce Brabner is a writer of political comics and a sometime collaborator with her late husband Harvey Pekar. Brabner is also a liberal social activist, most recently championing Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the neighborhood in which she resides, with a series of imaginative...
used material from lawsuits filed by the Christic Institute.