Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc. (324 F. Supp. 3d 668, 2018)

Leonie M. Brinkema, United States District Judge

Before the Court is defendant CACI Premier Technology, Inc.'s ("CACI" or "defendant") Motion to Dismiss [Dkt. No. 626]. For the reasons that follow, the Motion will be granted in part and denied in part, and Counts 1, 4, and 7 of the Third Amended Complaint will be dismissed. Because portions of the Third Amended Complaint and the parties' briefs were filed under seal, this opinion has redacted references to those sealed materials; however, the Court questions the rationale for such seals and has ordered the parties immediately to show cause why anything in this record should be sealed.

I. BACKGROUND

In this civil action, plaintiffs Suhail Najim Abdullah Al Shimari ("Al Shimari"), Asa'ad Hamza Hanfoosh Al-Zuba'e ("Al-Zuba'e"), and Salah Hasan Nsaif Jasim Al-Ejaili ("Al-Ejaili") (collectively, "plaintiffs") bring nine counts against CACI. The essence of plaintiffs' claims, which are all brought pursuant to the Alien Tort Statute ("ATS"), 28 U.S.C. § 1350, is that defendants' employees, who were military contractors at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, worked with military personnel to abuse plaintiffs, who were detained at the prison. This abuse is alleged to involve torture; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment ("CIDT"); and war crimes.

A. Factual Background

As explained in plaintiffs' Third Amended Complaint, the genesis of this civil action goes back to 2003, when the United States of America and various allied forces invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. Third Am. Compl. ("TAC") [Dkt. No. 254] ¶ 11. Although the coalition forces quickly achieved military victory, a variety of insurgent forces developed to resist the coalition. Id. In response to this insurgency, the allied forces arrested and detained many Iraqi citizens. Id. In need of facilities to hold their detainees, the coalition forces took over the Abu Ghraib site, a prison complex outside Baghdad. Id. ¶ 12. Although the Abu Ghraib complex had many different sections controlled by different groups, the events giving rise to this civil action all took place in Tier 1A of the "Hard Site," a relatively small section of the complex controlled by American military forces that housed detainees who were suspected to be of "military intelligence value." Id.

At least between fall 2003 and spring 2004, the military contracted with CACI to provide interrogators to supplement the military personnel who worked at the Hard Site. Id. ¶¶ 13-14. According to documents accompanying this contract, CACI was responsible for providing personnel to "assist, supervise, coordinate, and monitor all aspects of interrogation activities, in order to provide timely and actionable intelligence to the commander." Id. ¶ 15. CACI was also required to provide supervision for its own personnel. Id. As of January 23, 2004, the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center ("JIDC") organizational chart showed that 32 CACI employees, along with 97 soldiers, were assigned to the JIDC and CACI employees were "assigned to 15 of the 20 staffed cells conducting interrogations within the Interrogation Control Element." Id. ¶ 16.

The detainees at the Hard Site were guarded by Military Police ("MPs") from the 372nd Military Police Company. Id. ¶ 17. Interrogations were conducted by CACI employees and Military Intelligence ("MI") personnel, who were assigned to particular detainees. Id. At the time, Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick ("Frederick") was the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the MPs at the Hard Site. Id. ¶ 18. Although Frederick was subordinate to officers in the 372nd Military Police Company, his military superiors engaged in "virtually no supervision of the MPs at the Hard Site." Id. In addition, CACI employees had full access to the areas where detainees were imprisoned, and MPs were often confused about whether particular interrogators were CACI employees or MI personnel. Id. ¶¶ 89-90. As a result, CACI employees were the de facto supervisors, and they expressly ordered both Frederick and his subordinates to take specific actions to "soften up," "rough up," or "humiliate" detainees, "allegedly in preparation for their interrogations." Id. ¶ 18; see also id. ¶¶ 110-11. The MPs at the site believed that they were obligated to follow these orders. Id. ¶ 115.

In February 2004, Sergeant Joseph Darby disclosed evidence of the abuse at Abu Ghraib to military authorities, and the military opened multiple investigations into the conduct at the prison. Id. ¶ 79. One investigation, which was conducted by Major General George R. Fay, found that CACI employees, as well as MI personnel, MPs, and other soldiers, had "responsibility or complicity in the abuses that occurred at Abu Ghraib" and that what began as "nakedness and humiliation, stress and physical training (exercise)" devolved into "sexual and physical assaults by a small group of morally corrupt and unsupervised soldiers and civilians." Id. ¶¶ 81-82. This investigation identified at least five such civilians as CACI employees. Id. ¶ 82. In addition, the investigation identified (by pseudonyms) CACI employees Steven Stefanowicz ("Stefanowicz"), Daniel Johnson ("Johnson"), and Timothy Dugan ("Dugan") as individuals who abused detainees and concluded that Johnson had encouraged Frederick to abuse detainees. Id. ¶ 88.

Another investigation, conducted by Major General Antonio Taguba, identified CACI employee Stefanowicz as one of a variety of personnel who were "directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib." Id. ¶¶ 78, 83. The investigation further concluded that Stefanowicz gave "instructions to military personnel that [he] knew were both physically abusive and prohibited." Id. ¶ 87. Based on these findings, the investigation recommended "official reprimand and termination of Stefanowicz." Id. The investigation was accompanied by a report prepared by Colonel Henry Nelson, a psychologist, which observed that MP personnel, including Frederick, "collaborated with ... civilian contract interrogators" and that witnesses reported "pairs of civilian interrogators and interpreters carrying out detainee abuse." Id. ¶ 84.

In testimony, MPs who were present at the site have corroborated this connection between MP personnel and CACI employees and have explained that CACI employees assumed supervisory roles at the site. Specifically, Frederick has testified that CACI employees ordered him to "conduct or permit the following abusive acts upon the detainees under his supervision": restriction of detainees' diets; exposure of detainees to extreme hot or cold, including cold water; nudity; stress positions; sleep deprivation; forced physical exertion to the point of exhaustion; humiliation, such as forcing detainees to wear female underwear; and the use of unmuzzled dogs. Id. ¶ 23. In addition, Frederick has testified that three MI personnel "had actually ordered him to set the conditions for abusing the detainees" and that the two MI personnel who "actually ordered the more severe forms of abuse" were Stefanowicz and Johnson. Id. ¶ 85. Frederick has further testified that he and Stefanowicz spoke about detainee treatment two to three times each week while they worked the night shift together. Id. ¶ 86. Other military personnel, including Sergeant Theresa Adams and Captain Carolyn Wood, have testified that CACI interrogators "actually supervised" military personnel at the site, and then-Corporal Charles Graner ("Graner") testified that Stefanowicz and Johnson directed him to torture detainees. Id. ¶¶ 97, 100. The detainee abuse also increased in late 2003, after Stefanowicz "may have said something about the gloves coming off," according to Frederick. Id. ¶ 108.

Frederick has also testified that he "never really knew who was in charge at Abu Ghraib." Id. ¶ 89. Not only were CACI personnel given full access to the site and often confused with MI personnel, but it was "common practice" for personnel to cover their name tags, causing confusion among both detainees and MPs about the identities and affiliations of interrogators. Id. ¶¶ 91-93 (quoting testimony of Frederick, then-Sergeant Javal Davis ("Davis"), and Sergeant Hydrue Joyner ("Joyner") ). Joyner also specifically testified that interrogators "didn't always wear uniforms" or disclose their names, which meant that he did not know if specific interrogators "were civilian or military." Id. ¶ 94. Similarly-but even more specifically-Davis testified that "Steve" was one of the individuals who contributed to the abuse of detainees but that Davis "did not know who [Steve] work[ed] for," just that "he [wa]s an investigator/interrogator." Id. ¶ 103 (second alteration in original).

In addition to military personnel, detainees themselves have corroborated the structure of this de facto hierarchy, where MPs took orders from CACI personnel. For example, in his deposition, Al-Ejaili testified that "civilian interrogators were seen as authority figures who gave instructions to military personnel" and he recalls guards asking interrogators for instructions about how to punish prisoners. Id. ¶ 138. Al-Ejaili has also specifically identified CACI employee Johnson as one of the interrogators who gave instructions to the guards and has testified that Johnson would visit the detainees' cellblock multiple times each week to talk to the guards or observe each cell. Id. ¶¶ 139-40.

From these de facto supervisory positions, CACI employees helped establish a system of communication and oversight that enabled them to direct and monitor prisoner abuse. For example, CACI employees used "code words or terms," such as giving detainees "special treatment," "soften[ing] up" detainees, and the "doggie dance," to communicate to military personnel that they wanted the personnel to abuse prisoners in preparation for interrogations. Id. ¶ 117. Stefanowicz, in particular, "really liked the use of dogs" and would direct MPs to use unmuzzled dogs to threaten and, in at least one case, bite detainees. Id. ¶¶ 122-23. He also told MPs that he "had permission to use the dogs to soften up detainees in interrogations." Id. ¶ 123. He also told Graner that it was permissible for Graner to make detainees stand on a box. Id. ¶ 126. In addition, CACI employees-specifically Stefanowicz and Johnson-were present for a variety of abuses, including when prisoners were kept naked in cells, were forced to wear women's underwear, were tied to the cell bars, and were put in stress positions. Id. ¶ 119.

According to plaintiffs, responsibility for this abuse extended not just to individual CACI employees but also to the corporation. Plaintiffs rely on references to experts who have made clear that interrogators in war theatres will generally "be under intense pressure to produce actionable intelligence" and ensuring that interrogators do not "fall into the trap of acting on the belief that the means justifies the ends" requires proper training, leadership, and supervision. Id. ¶¶ 144-45. Plaintiffs allege that CACI failed to provide such training, leadership, and supervision, instead giving "numerous 'on the job' promotions from screener to interrogator to employees like Dugan and Stefanowicz, who had been deemed unqualified to work as interrogators prior to their arrival in Iraq," and, for at least one employee, conducting only a five-minute telephone interview before offering him a position as an interrogator in Iraq. Id. ¶¶ 146-47. CACI also failed to appropriately investigate after multiple CACI employees and military officers informed CACI management about its employees' participation in prisoner abuse-and, in one case, CACI tried to fire an interrogator for reporting other CACI employees' misconduct to military investigators. Id. ¶¶ 150-53. Even after the prisoner abuse became public and the military conducted multiple investigations, CACI failed to discipline its employees whom the military determined were involved in the abuse. Id. ¶¶ 154-55. Instead, CACI launched its own "internal investigation," which cleared its employees of wrongdoing; refused to remove Johnson from the contract with the military despite the government's request that CACI do so; and promoted Stefanowicz from interrogator to Abu Ghraib site lead. Id.

Plaintiffs further allege that CACI and its employees worked to cover up the prisoner mistreatment and CACI employees'

roles in the abuse. In addition to the lies that Stefanowicz told government investigators, individuals at the prison intentionally hid detainees from the Red Cross when the Red Cross inspected the Hard Site. Id. ¶ 129. After the mistreatment became public, CACI and its parent company engaged in a "campaign of intimidation to suppress any coverage or investigation of its role in the conspiracy," including by sending letters threatening legal action to reporters and bringing a frivolous lawsuit against a radio station. Id. ¶¶ 172-73. They also issued a series of misleading statements, including falsely stating in a press release in 2004 that no employee departures in the previous year had been related to Abu Ghraib abuse, claiming in testimony and a book that CACI employees were always monitored by the military and CACI supervisors, and falsely claiming in a book that none of the publicly available photographs of abuse at Abu Ghraib show CACI employees. Id. ¶¶ 171, 175-76, 179, 181.

B. Abuse Suffered by Plaintiffs

All three plaintiffs were detained at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 or early 2004, during the time that the abuse described above was ongoing. Each plaintiff was subjected to a variety of mistreatment while at Abu Ghraib, and each has submitted to a deposition in which he has detailed the abuse he suffered.

1. Treatment of Al-Ejaili

Al-Ejaili, a former credentialed reporter for Al-Jazeera, was first arrested by United States Army personnel on November 3, 2003, while he was reporting on an explosion in Iraq's Diyala province. Pl. Opp. [Dkt. No. 639] Ex. A ("Al-Ejaili Dep.") 9:3-:22, 25:5-:12. After about a week of detention in various Army facilities, he was transferred to Abu Ghraib, where he was held for approximately six weeks. Id. at 17:19-36:3, 106:3-:6. He was processed at Abu Ghraib and taken to Tier 1, where a man in a military uniform and an interpreter took him to a hallway, commanded him to strip naked, put a bag over his head, and shouted at him to confess. Id. at 51:22-52:17. After shouting at Al-Ejaili for some amount of time, they left him naked in the hallway. Id. at 58:3-:18. Graner then transported Al-Ejaili to another corridor, where he put him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffed him to a pole. Id. at 61:7-63:17. Al-Ejaili was left handcuffed to the pole with a bag on his head through the night. He alleges that he vomited up a black substance while in that position. Id. at 63:21-64:16. At some point during the night, a woman approached the still-naked Al-Ejaili and touched him all over his body, pulling at his hair and pinching him. Id. at 65:6-:9. The next morning, Al-Ejaili was forced to clean the vomit off the floor with his jumpsuit and taken to a cell. Id. at 68:6-:13. He tried to clean the jumpsuit but, while it was drying, had nothing to wear. Id. at 69:5-:9. When he told a guard in a military uniform that he was cold, the guard gave him female underwear. Id. at 69:10-:19.

Over the ensuing weeks, Al-Ejaili was interrogated ten to twelve times-approximately once every two or three days. Id. at 80:7-:9. Each time, he was stripped naked, had a bag placed over his head, and was taken to an interrogation room. Id. at 74:6-:9. During the interrogations, he was often handcuffed to a pipe in the room and was beaten, punched, kicked, and slapped on the head. Id. at 79:5-:11, 82:19-:21, 100:1-:6. The interrogators also sometimes doused him with hot water, hot tea, or cold water. Id. at 100:20-01:3.

The mistreatment continued outside of interrogations. The prison personnel forced Al-Ejaili to follow a disruptive sleeping regimen and punished him when he was unable to follow it. Id. at 101:15-:18. They withheld food and water from him. Id. at 101:19-:20; 217:22-18:4. They left him alone and naked in a dark room in the basement of the tier. Id. at 101:20-02:1. They sometimes took all of the belongings in his cell, including the bed and his clothing, and left him naked there for multiple days. Id. at 102:7-:10. They chained his naked body to the wall or the bars of his cell or the bed, and they repeatedly chained him in stress positions. Id. at 217:20-:22; Orig. Def. Mem. [Dkt. No. 28] Ex. 2 ("Al-Ejaili Int."), at No. 4. They put a bag over his head and beat him. Al-Ejaili Dep. 102:17-03:14. At least three times, they brought dogs so close to his face while it was covered with a bag that he could feel them, an experience he has described as "[t]errifying." Id. at 201:16-:13; see also Pl. Opp. Ex. P (photos of Abu Ghraib detainees being threatened with dogs); Al-Ejaili Int., at No. 4 ("Al-Ejaili was threatened with unleased dogs during an interrogation."); Pl. Opp. Ex. D ("Al-Ejaili Xenakis Rep.") 4 ("[Al-Ejaili] was threatened with dogs when hooded and could feel the dogs salivating as they put their paws on his legs.").

After 48 days at Abu Ghraib, Al-Ejaili was released. Al-Ejaili Xenakis Rep. 4. As a result of his treatment at Abu Ghraib, Al-Ejaili has suffered "severe and debilitating" physical and psychological symptoms. Id. at 5. He suffers from depression and anxiety, which "spoil his personal and work life," because he is unable to do any broadcasting, freezes when on air, and cannot complete live reporting due to anxiety attacks. Id. at 5. He has problems with his memory, attention span, and concentration. Id. He suffers from frequent nightmares, "interfering significantly with [his] quality of sleep." Id. He is prone to angry outbursts that frighten his wife and children and his relationships with family and friends have deteriorated. Id. He has been diagnosed with "moderately severe posttraumatic stress disorder" and "major depressive disorder." Id. at 7. He also suffers from physical pain and scarring from the beatings, severe headaches that he traces back to the beatings to the head, and gastric distress. Id. at 6.

2. Treatment of Al-Zuba'e

Al-Zuba'e was arrested by American military personnel in November 2003 after he was stopped while driving home with a neighbor. Pl. Opp. Ex. G. ("Al-Zuba'e Dep.") 19:5-24:15. He was taken to Abu Ghraib and put in a large room with a number of other detainees for two days. Id. at 31:17-33:21. On the third day, civilian guards transferred Al-Zuba'e to another room, took off his clothes, and instructed him to masturbate. Id. at 35:10-37:17. Al-Zuba'e refused, informing them that masturbation was forbidden by his religion, and one of the civilians touched his penis until it became erect. Id. at 36:15-:16, 40:4-41:4. At that point, another civilian took a picture of his penis. Id. at 41:1-:9. Once the civilians had taken the picture, they told Al-Zuba'e to put his clothes back on and had him transported to another room, where he was left alone for three or four hours. Id. at 42:3-:10, 47:21-48:5.

A few hours later, the same civilians came back to the room, put bands on Al-Zuba'e's wrists and a black bag on his head, and took him in a Hummer to the Hard Site. Id. at 48:8-49:20. When they arrived at the Hard Site, one of the guards put a rope around Al-Zuba'e's neck and pulled him out of the Hummer with the rope. Id. at 50:1-:9. When he cried in pain, the guards repeatedly punched and kicked him. Id. at 50:10-51:13. After beating Al-Zuba'e, the guards took him to a room with a group of soldiers, where they stripped him again. Id. at 52:2-53:13. One of the soldiers hugged Al-Zuba'e's naked body and told him, "I'm going to 'fiki-fiki' you." Id. at 53:16-:21; Pl. Opp. Ex. H. A group of guards, including both males and females, took Al-Zuba'e to a bathroom, where they forced him into a cold shower with a bar of soap. Al-Zuba'e Dep. 54:4-55:4. They rubbed soap into his eyes and told him that he had to stay in the cold shower until he had used the entire bar. Id. at 54:15-55:7; Orig. Def. Mem. Ex. 1 ("Al-Zuba'e Int."), at No. 4. At some point, Al-Zuba'e became so cold that he was no longer able to stand and he fell on the floor. Al-Zuba'e Dep. 55:22-56:2.

After Al-Zuba'e fell, the soldiers dragged him from the bathroom down to the first floor. Id. at 57:22-58:3. He lost consciousness and awakened to the guards hitting him. Id. at 58:15-:18. They forced him to crawl or slide around the hallway on his stomach while they beat him until his chest bled. Id. at 58:15-61:7; Al-Zuba'e Int., at No. 4. When they stopped beating him, the guards brought a dog into the hallway and allowed the dog to bite Al-Zuba'e's hand and legs. Al-Zuba'e Dep. 61:8-:22. Rather than provide medical treatment for these injuries, the guards put bands on Al-Zuba'e's wrists and a hood on his head and left him, still naked, in a cell overnight. Id. at 63:21-65:13.

The next day, Al-Zuba'e was transported to an interrogation room, where he was interrogated by two apparently civilian interrogators with a civilian interpreter for two to three hours. Id. at 70:10-72:16. At the end of the questioning, one of the interrogators had a conversation with a guard which Al-Zuba'e could not hear. Id. at 74:22-76:6, 77:12-:14. The guard took Al-Zuba'e to a cell and smashed his head against a wall, causing him to fall to the ground. Id. at 76:7-:19. The guard told Al-Zuba'e to stand up and handcuffed his arms to the upper bunk such that his arms were above his head and his feet were barely touching the floor. Id. at 78:13-79:14. Al-Zuba'e was left in this stress position for an entire day, during which time Al-Zuba'e urinated and defecated on himself. Id. at 81:14-:16, 135:21-37:5. Although he was screaming and crying in pain, the guard told him that he could not release him because the guard had orders to leave him in the stress position. Id. at 82:1-83:4.

After Al-Zuba'e was unchained from the bed, he was left alone in the cell for four or five days. Id. at 83:15-84:12. At that point, the same three civilians who had conducted the first interrogation came to Al-Zuba'e's cell and transported him back to the interrogation room. Id. at 85:1-:14. After interrogating Al-Zuba'e, they again had a conversation with the guard who was guarding his cell. Id. at 90:19-91:4. The guard took Al-Zuba'e back to his cell, instructed him to take off his clothes, and removed all the furniture, with the possible exception of his bedframe, from the cell. Id. at 91:11-93:13. Al-Zuba'e was left alone, naked in the empty cell, for three days until he became sick. Id. at 93:15-:19. At that point, the guards brought Al-Zuba'e a jumpsuit, put a bag on his head, spun him around to disorient him, and brought him to "a room somewhere that was very cold, very cold, very cold," where he was questioned for a couple of hours. Id. at 94:1-96:16.

After this third interrogation, Al-Zuba'e was left in his cell for ten days, until he was taken back to the interrogation room. Id. at 100:12-:15. During this fourth interrogation, the interrogators threatened to bring Al-Zuba'e's family to Abu Ghraib if he did not cooperate. Id. at 101:10-:20. When the interrogation concluded, Al-Zuba'e was brought back to his cell, was told to bend over, and was handcuffed to the cell door. Id. at 102:3-03:14; see also Pl. Opp. Ex. R (photos of Abu Ghraib detainees in a similar stress position). At some point, Al-Zuba'e was released from this stress position and was left in the cell for approximately twenty days before he was taken to a new interrogation room with a new set of civilian interrogators. Al-Zuba'e Dep. 103:11-05:17. When Al-Zuba'e told the new interrogators that he could not answer their questions, the interrogation ended with the interrogators hitting Al-Zuba'e repeatedly and throwing him against the wall. Id. at 106:1-08:8. After this last interrogation, Al-Zuba'e was released from the Hard Site. Id. at 109:20-10:3.

As a result of the mistreatment he suffered at the Hard Site, Al-Zuba'e claims he has suffered "severe and debilitating symptoms that have persisted since his release." Pl. Opp. Ex. K ("Al-Zuba'e Xenakis Rep.") 4. He has been diagnosed with "severe posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder." Id. at 6. He also continues to suffer from frequent headaches and nightmares that interfere with his work, social relationships, and ability to sleep. Id. at 4. He has become "physically and emotionally abusive to his wives and children," suffers from "problems in attention and concentration," and "often dissociates or daydreams." Id. He also suffers from constant fatigue and "persistent gastric distress." Id. He has also suffered scarring from the beatings and dog bites and continues to suffer musculoskeletal aches and pains. Id. at 6; Al-Zuba'e Int., at No. 4.

3. Treatment of Al Shimari

Al Shimari, who was working as a farmer, was arrested by American forces at his home in early November 2003. Al Shimari Dep. 13:7-15:4. He was originally taken to a United States military camp, where he was held for two days while military personnel conducted an investigation into weapons that were found in his house. Id. at 22:22-26:15. Al Shimari was then transported among a variety of military camps, as the investigation into the weapons continued. Id. at 28:13-37:5. After he had been in custody for approximately a month, Al Shimari was transported to Abu Ghraib, where he was initially stripped naked and had his body examined by nonmedical personnel. Id. at 37:3-39:8.

The next day, Al Shimari was handcuffed, had a bag placed over his head, and was taken for his first interrogation. Id. at 41:4-:14. When he got to the interrogation room, he was forced to kneel on sharp stones and was punched all over his face. Id. at 41:15-43:15. The sharp rocks caused lasting damage to his legs, as he is now unable to stand for extended periods of time and still has scars, numbness, and pain. Id. at 117:8-18:22; Pl. Opp. Ex. M. ("Al Shimari Xenakis Rep.") 4. During the interrogation, either the interrogator or one of the guards pulled on Al Shimari so hard while he was handcuffed that he feared his hands would break, and they stepped on his stomach, back, legs, and head. Al Shimari Dep. 47:9-49:3, 119:1-:15. After he was interrogated, Al Shimari was taken to a cold brick room, where he was left-barefoot and without any food-for a day. Id. at 52:1-54:4.

Al Shimari was interrogated again the next day for about three hours. Id. at 54:13-:21. The interrogator forced him to stand on his toes with his nose against the wall during the interrogation and, at various times, ordered the guard to hit Al Shimari against the wall. Id. at 55:2-57:14. Although the interrogator threatened to keep Al Shimari in this stress position overnight, he only forced him to stand against the wall for approximately three hours. Id. at 56:13-:19. At the end of the interrogation, the guard tied Al Shimari's hands behind his back and beat him all over his body, including on his head and face. Id. at 58:1-:15.

About a week later, Al Shimari was taken for a third interrogation, which lasted approximately four hours. Id. at 59:4-62:15. During this interrogation, the civilian interrogator forced Al Shimari to sit with his handcuffed hands behind his back facing a window. Id. at 63:2-:12, 66:1-:11. The civilian brought a dog to the other side of the window and threatened to have the dog bite Al Shimari's hands if he was uncooperative. Id. at 66:1-:11. After this interrogation, the civilian interrogator directed the guards to shave Al Shimari's hair and mustache, force him into a cold shower with a bar of soap until the entire bar was dissolved, and give him a soaked jumpsuit to wear. Id. at 67:19-70:6.

Even after these three initial interrogations, Al Shimari was continuously mistreated during his forty days at the Hard Site. On at least one occasion, guards brought a dog to his cell and threatened him with it, allowing the dog to lunge at him and putting a blanket over his head and allowing the dog to bite it. Id. at 77:16-78:6. In addition, his cell was often kept extremely dark, loud music was played nearby, and guards would often douse him with water. Id. at 86:20-89:9. At one point, an interrogator threatened to bring Al Shimari's wife to Abu Ghraib if he did not confess, and on a separate occasion, an interrogator threatened to shoot him. Id. at 90:12-:19, 100:4-01:8. The guards routinely beat Al Shimari, including with a baton stick and rifle and sometimes in the face and on the genitals, which resulted in his teeth falling out and his being unable to have children. Id. at 97:4-98:8, 102:2-:5, 105:4-:11: see also Al Shimari Xenakis Rep. 4. The guards sometimes wired Al Shimari to electric equipment that they called a lie detector and would shock him while interrogating him, resulting in lasting scars. Al Shimari Dep. 102:8-03:13; Al Shimari Xenakis Rep. 11-12. They also dragged Al Shimari to and from interrogations using a rope tied around his neck. Al Shimari Dep. 103:19-04:19. In addition, on multiple occasions, guards inserted their fingers into Al Shimari's rectum. Id. at 125:5-:20.

The mistreatment Al Shimari suffered resulted in "severe and debilitating symptoms that manifested in the early days of his detention and have persisted since his release." Al Shimari Xenakis Rep. 6. He continues to suffer from multiple "musculoskeletal aches and pains" and has "scarring that he attributes to beatings." Id. at 8. He has been diagnosed with "moderately severe postconcussive syndrome attributable to multiple beatings on the head with loss of consciousness," post-traumatic stress disorder, and major depressive disorder. Id. at 8-9. He has trouble sleeping, often dissociates for extended periods of time, and suffers severe headaches multiple times each week. Id. at 6. At this point, he appears unable to have any more children, and his relationship with his wife has suffered. Id. He often feels angry without provocation and has emotional outbursts, which have resulted in abusive behavior toward his family and hurt his children's performance in school. Id.

C. Procedural History

On June 30, 2008, Al Shimari filed this civil action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against then-defendants Dugan; CACI International, Inc. ("CACI International"); CACI; and L-3 Services, Inc., alleging three substantive violations of the law of nations under the ATS: torture, CIDT, and war crimes. [Dkt. No. 2]. For each substantive violation, Al Shimari also alleged separate counts of civil conspiracy and aiding and abetting. Id. In addition, he alleged eleven common law causes of action. Id. In August 2008, the civil action was transferred to this court at the request of the parties and was assigned to Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. [Dkt. No. 16]. Shortly thereafter, Dugan and L-3 Services, Inc. were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. [Dkt. Nos. 21 & 27].

On September 15, 2008, the Amended Complaint, which added Rashid, Al-Ejaili, and Al-Zuba'e as plaintiffs, was filed. [Dkt. No. 28]. CACI and CACI International moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint, arguing that plaintiffs' claims presented nonjusticiable political questions, that defendants were immune from suit, that plaintiffs failed to state factual allegations sufficient to demonstrate a plausible entitlement to relief, that plaintiffs' claims were preempted by the Combatant Activities Exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act ("FTCA"), that plaintiffs' ATS claims were not cognizable, and that plaintiffs had failed to allege facts sufficient to establish respondeat superior liability. [Dkt. Nos. 34 & 35]. CACI and CACI International also filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, arguing that the newly-added plaintiffs' common law tort claims were barred by the statute of limitations. [Dkt. Nos. 44 & 45].

On November 25, 2008, the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment was denied after the court found that Rashid, Al-Ejaili, and Al-Zuba'e fell into the definition of a class proposed in Saleh v. Titan Corp., No. 04-cv-1143 (S.D. Cal.), which tolled the statute of limitations on their tort claims from the time the Saleh civil action was filed until the time class certification was denied. [Dkt. No. 76]. On March 18, 2009, Judge Lee granted the Motion to Dismiss "to the extent that [the Amended Complaint's] claims invoke ATS jurisdiction," because he was "unconvinced that a suit against private civilian interrogators falls within the class of hybrid international norms in existence when the ATS was enacted." Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc., 657 F.Supp.2d 700, 728 (E.D. Va. 2009) ; [Dkt. No. 94]. At the same time, Judge Lee held that plaintiffs' claims were justiciable, that defendants were not entitled to immunity, that plaintiffs' claims were not preempted, that plaintiffs alleged sufficient facts to support vicarious liability, that plaintiff sufficiently alleged conspiratorial liability, and that plaintiffs sufficiently alleged direct involvement by defendants' employees in the tortious conduct. Id. at 731-32.

CACI and CACI International filed an interlocutory appeal, challenging the rulings on immunity, preemption, and the political question doctrine. The Fourth Circuit reversed the district court, concluding "based on the uniquely federal interests involved in this case, that the plaintiffs' tort claims are preempted and displaced under the reasoning articulated in [ Boyle v. United Technologies Corp., 487 U.S. 500, 108 S.Ct. 2510, 101 L.Ed.2d 442 (1988),] as applied to circumstances virtually identical to those before us in Saleh v. Titan Corp., 580 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2009)." Al Shimari v. CACI Int'l, Inc. (Al Shimari I ), 658 F.3d 413, 417 (4th Cir. 2011). Plaintiffs filed a petition for rehearing en banc, which was granted, vacating the panel decision. The en banc Fourth Circuit dismissed the appeal, concluding that it lacked jurisdiction over the interlocutory appeal. Al Shimari v. CACI Int'l Inc. (Al Shimari II ), 679 F.3d 205, 212 (4th Cir. 2012) (en banc ).

On remand, plaintiffs filed a Motion for Reconsideration, in which they asked Judge Lee to revisit his previous ruling dismissing their ATS claims in light of subsequent case law. [Dkt. Nos. 144 & 145]. Plaintiffs' motion was granted, and their ATS claims were reinstated. [Dkt. No. 159]. After the claims were reinstated, plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Complaint, which included the same parties and claims as the Amended Complaint. [Dkt. No. 177]. Three weeks later, on January 14, 2013, CACI and CACI International each filed a Motion to Dismiss. [Dkt. Nos. 180 & 183]. CACI argued that the Second Amended Complaint did not appropriately plead conspiracy claims, and CACI International argued that the Second Amended Complaint did not allege facts sufficient to support holding CACI International liable for the actions of the interrogators, who were CACI, not CACI International, employees. [Dkt. Nos. 181 & 184]. Judge Lee granted both motions, dismissing without prejudice plaintiffs' claims alleging a conspiracy between CACI and the United States military and dismissing with prejudice plaintiffs' claims alleging a conspiracy between CACI International and CACI or between CACI and its employees, as well as all claims against CACI International. [Dkt. No. 215].

Concurrently with these motions, defendants also filed a Motion for Reconsideration, in which they asked Judge Lee to reconsider his earlier decision denying their summary judgment motion as to Rashid's, Al-Ejaili's, and Al-Zuba'e's common law claims in light of intervening precedent from the Virginia Supreme Court. [Dkt. Nos. 161 & 162]. On March 19, 2013, Judge Lee granted defendants' motion, vacated his previous Order, and dismissed with prejudice Rashid's, Al-Ejaili's, and Al-Zuba'e's common law claims. [Dkt. No. 226]. On the same day, he granted plaintiffs leave to file a Third Amended Complaint but instructed them to limit any amendments to those related to conspiracy allegations between CACI and the United States military. [Dkt. No. 227].

On March 28, 2013, plaintiffs filed their Third Amended Complaint [Dkt. No. 251]. As before, the Complaint contained nine counts under the ATS brought by all plaintiffs. Id. In addition, the Complaint contained eleven common law counts brought by Al Shimari. Id. CACI promptly filed a Motion to Strike, in which it argued that the amendments to the Complaint went beyond those permitted by the court's order granting plaintiffs leave to amend. [Dkt. Nos. 300 & 301]. In addition, CACI filed a Motion to Reconsider, arguing that plaintiffs' ATS claims should be dismissed in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 569 U.S. 108, 133 S.Ct. 1659, 185 L.Ed.2d 671 (2013). [Dkt. Nos. 354 & 355]. It also filed a Motion to Dismiss, arguing that Al Shimari's common law claims should be dismissed because they were governed by Iraqi law, to which CACI was not subject. [Dkt. Nos. 363 & 364]. On June 25, 2013, both motions were granted. Al Shimari v. CACI Int'l Inc., 951 F.Supp.2d 857 (E.D. Va. 2013) ; [Dkt. No. 460]. Judge Lee found that, in light of Kiobel, which established a presumption against extraterritorial application of the ATS, the court lacked jurisdiction over plaintiffs' ATS claims "because the acts giving rise to their tort claims occurred exclusively in Iraq, a foreign sovereign." Id. at 858. In addition, he found that Iraqi law, which governed Al Shimari's tort claims under Ohio's choice-of-law provisions, "precludes both liability under Iraqi law and the application of law from a jurisdiction within the United States to [CACI's] actions." Id. Accordingly, plaintiffs' Third Amended Complaint was dismissed without prejudice. Id. Plaintiffs timely filed a notice of appeal. [Dkt. No. 461].

On appeal, the Fourth Circuit considered two jurisdictional questions: the extraterritorial application of the ATS, as discussed by Judge Lee in his opinion, and also the political question doctrine, which CACI raised as a separate argument for lack of jurisdiction. See Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc. (Al Shimari III), 758 F.3d 516, 527 (4th Cir. 2014). The court concluded that plaintiffs' claims "touch and concern" the "territory of the United States with sufficient force to displace the presumption against extraterritorial application" of the ATS; however, the court was "unable to determine" from the record developed at that time whether plaintiffs' claims "present nonjusticiable political questions." Id. at 520 (internal quotation marks omitted). Accordingly, the Fourth Circuit held that the district court erred in determining that it lacked jurisdiction under the ATS, vacated the district court's judgment, and remanded the case for "factual development of the record" and to analyze whether the political question doctrine precluded subject matter jurisdiction. Id. at 520-21.

On remand, Judge Lee reopened discovery to allow for limited jurisdictional discovery, ordered briefing on the political question doctrine and the elements of plaintiffs' ATS claims, and instructed the parties not to file any motions that were unrelated to those two issues. [Dkt. No. 507]. After the close of discovery, CACI filed a Motion to Dismiss, in which it argued that the political question doctrine deprived the court of subject matter jurisdiction. [Dkt. Nos. 516 & 517]. On June 18, 2015, Judge Lee granted CACI's motion and dismissed plaintiffs' Third Amended Complaint.

Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc., 119 F.Supp.3d 434 (E.D. Va. 2015) ; [Dkt. No. 547].

Judge Lee began by explaining that the Fourth Circuit has "formulated a test for considering whether" lawsuits "brought against government contractors who perform services for the military" are "justiciable under the political question doctrine." Id. at 442 (citing Taylor v. Kellogg Brown & Root Servs., Inc., 658 F.3d 402, 404 (4th Cir. 2011) ). Under this test, such lawsuits are nonjusticiable if "the government contractor was under the 'plenary' or 'direct' control of the military" or if "national defense interests were 'closely intertwined' with military decisions governing the contractor's conduct, such that a decision on the merits of the claim 'would require the judiciary to question actual, sensitive judgments made by the military.' " Id. (quoting Taylor, 658 F.3d at 411 ). After reviewing the evidence in the record, Judge Lee found that plaintiffs' claims failed under both prongs of the Taylor test. First, he concluded that "the military exercised 'plenary' and 'direct' control over how Defendants interrogated detainees at Abu Ghraib" and that the "military clearly chose how to carry out tasks related to the interrogation mission, while CACI had no discretion in any operational matters." Id. at 446. Second, he found that the judiciary "is simply not equipped to make judgments as to whether the techniques approved by the military were appropriate-a judgment that would no doubt come into question during adjudication of the merits of this case." Id. at 449. As such, he concluded that "the national defense interests are so closely intertwined with military decisions governing Defendant's conduct" that "a decision on the merits of the claim would require the judiciary to question actual, sensitive judgments made by the military." Id. Additionally, Judge Lee concluded that the court lacked judicially manageable standards for evaluating plaintiffs' claims, both because the court lacked expertise in matters of foreign law, which might govern some of plaintiffs' claims, and because there was "ambiguity surrounding the elements" of each ATS claim. Id. at 449-50. Accordingly, CACI's Motion to Dismiss was granted, and plaintiffs timely appealed. [Dkt. No. 554].

On appeal, the Fourth Circuit clarified the appropriate standard for application of the political question doctrine and vacated the district court's judgment. Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc. (Al Shimari IV), 840 F.3d 147 (4th Cir. 2016). With respect to the first Taylor factor, the Fourth Circuit concluded that the district court erroneously focused on whether "the military maintained formal control over interrogations," rather than whether "the military actually controlled the CACI interrogators' job performance, including any activities that occurred outside the formal interrogation process." Id. at 156-57. In addition, the Fourth Circuit held that although the decisions of a contractor under actual control of the military are considered to be de facto military decisions, "the military cannot lawfully exercise its authority by directing a contractor to engage in unlawful activity." Id. at 157. Accordingly, the court held "that a contractor's acts may be shielded from judicial review under the first prong of Taylor only to the extent that those acts (1) were committed under actual control of the military; and (2) were not unlawful." Id.

With respect to the second Taylor factor, the Fourth Circuit found that the district court conducted an "incomplete" analysis because it "fail[ed] to draw a distinction between unlawful conduct and discretionary acts that were not unlawful when committed." Id. at 158. The Fourth Circuit observed that the "commission of unlawful acts is not based on military expertise and judgment, and is not a function committed to a coordinate branch of government." Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Accordingly, the Fourth Circuit held that "to the extent that the plaintiffs' claims rest on allegations of unlawful conduct in violation of settled international law or criminal law then applicable to the CACI employees, those claims fall outside the protection of the political question doctrine." Id.

In sum, with respect to the application of the political question doctrine, the Fourth Circuit held

that any conduct of the CACI employees that occurred under the actual control of the military or involved sensitive military judgments, and was not unlawful when committed, constituted a protected exercise of discretion under the political question doctrine. Conversely, any acts of the CACI employees that were unlawful when committed, irrespective whether they occurred under actual control of the military, are subject to judicial review. Thus, the plaintiffs' claims are justiciable to the extent that the challenged conduct violated settled international law or the criminal law to which the CACI employees were subject at the time the conduct occurred.

Id. at 159. Lastly, the Fourth Circuit held that the judiciary has "manageable standards" for adjudicating plaintiffs' claims. Id. at 161. Although the court recognized that "the substantive law applicable to the present claims may be unfamiliar and complicated in many respects," it concluded that the "district court in the present case is called upon to interpret statutory terms and established international norms," as well as "long-standing common law principles," all of which are tasks within the ability of the judiciary. Id.

In addition to joining the unanimous majority opinion, Judge Floyd concurred to "articulate [his] understanding of one aspect of [the] holding." Id. at 162 (Floyd, J., concurring). In particular, Judge Floyd emphasized that he did not read the majority opinion "to suggest that courts cannot adjudicate close questions of lawfulness regarding military affairs" and that, even in close cases, "the judiciary is well equipped to adjudicate such issues without impermissibly answering political questions." Id. at 162-63.

On remand, Judge Lee recused himself from this civil action, and it was reassigned to the undersigned judge. [Dkt. No. 562]. After holding a status conference to determine the appropriate path forward, the Court ordered plaintiffs' counsel to arrange for the deposition of Al Shimari, Al-Zuba'e, and Rashid and ordered both parties to submit briefs addressing the applicable legal standards under the ATS and the common law. [Dkt. No. 571]. On January 17, 2017, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed all of the remaining common law claims with prejudice [Dkt. No. 575] and both parties submitted briefs addressing the applicable legal standards under the ATS [Dkt. Nos. 576 & 577]. When plaintiffs were unable to arrange for the deposition of Rashid, he was dismissed without prejudice from this civil action [Dkt. No. 607], leaving Al Shimari, Al-Zuba'e, and Al-Ejaili as the only plaintiffs.

On June 28, 2017, the Court issued a Memorandum Opinion clarifying the appropriate legal framework for analyzing plaintiffs' ATS claims. Al Shimari v. CACI Premier Tech., Inc., 263 F.Supp.3d 595 (E.D. Va. 2017) ; [Dkt. No. 615]. The Court held that torture, CIDT, and war crimes all constitute violations of the law of nations and that claims of torture, CIDT, and war crimes are actionable against private parties under the ATS. In addition, the Court identified the "applicable sources of law for defining the prohibitions."

Id. at 596. Specifically, the Court identified the Anti-Torture Act ("ATA"), 18 U.S.C. § 2340, and the Torture Victims Protection Act ("TVPA"), 28 U.S.C § 1350(note), as well as case law interpreting and applying those statutes and international agreements dealing with torture, as persuasive sources of authority on the definition of the prohibition against torture, Al Shimari, 263 F.Supp.3d at 600-02. In addition, the Court identified sources of law defining CIDT, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which has been incorporated into American statutory law through the War Crimes Act. Id. at 602-04 ; see 18 U.S.C. § 2441(d)(1)(B). Lastly, the Court identified the War Crimes Act of 1996 as providing a clear definition of war crimes. Al Shimari, 263 F.Supp.3d at 605 ; see 18 U.S.C. § 2441(c).

With this legal framework in place, the Court provided defendant an opportunity to file a motion addressing any arguments that it wished to raise under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12. CACI has filed a Motion to Dismiss [Dkt. No. 626], in which it argues that the political question doctrine precludes judicial review of plaintiffs' claims; that plaintiffs' allegations are not cognizable under the ATS because they do not constitute torture, CIDT, or war crimes; that plaintiffs' direct liability claims should be dismissed because they have failed to allege direct involvement in their abuse by CACI employees; that plaintiffs' conspiracy claims must be dismissed for failure to state a claim; that plaintiffs' aiding and abetting claims fail; and that plaintiffs' ATS claims are preempted by the Constitution, the FTCA, Coalition Provisional Authority ("CPA") Order 17, and the ATA and TVPA. CACI's Motion to Dismiss has been fully briefed [Dkt. Nos. 627, 639, & 645] and oral argument has been heard. For the reasons that follow, CACI's Motion to Dismiss will be granted in part and denied in part, and plaintiffs' direct liability claims will be dismissed.

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Under Rule 12(b)(1), a civil action must be dismissed whenever the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction. The plaintiff has the burden of establishing subject matter jurisdiction, Demetres v. E.W. Constr., Inc., 776 F.3d 271, 272 (4th Cir. 2015), and the Court "may consider evidence outside the pleadings without converting the proceeding to one for summary judgment," In re KBR, 744 F.3d at 333 (internal quotation marks omitted).

Under Rule 12(b)(6), a civil action must be dismissed if the complaint does not "contain sufficient facts to state a claim that is 'plausible on its face.' " E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Kolon Indus., Inc., 637 F.3d 435, 440 (4th Cir. 2011) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). Although the Court must assume for the purposes of deciding the motion that all "well-pleaded allegations" are true and must "view the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff," Philips v. Pitt Cty. Mem'l Hosp., 572 F.3d 176, 180 (4th Cir. 2009), allegations that are merely conclusory need not be credited, see Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009).

III. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

Before addressing the merits of plaintiffs' claims and CACI's various defenses, the Court must first determine whether it has subject matter jurisdiction. CACI argues that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction because "the political question doctrine precludes judicial review," Def. Mem. [Dkt. No. 627] 3-12 (formatting and capitalization altered), and because "plaintiffs' allegations are not cognizable under the" ATS, id. at 12-26 (formatting and capitalization altered). With respect to the application of the political question doctrine, the Fourth Circuit has held that "any acts of the CACI employees that were unlawful when committed ... are subject to judicial review" and, accordingly, that "plaintiffs' claims are justiciable to the extent that the challenged conduct violated settled international law or the criminal law to which the CACI employees were subject at the time." Al Shimari IV, 840 F.3d at 159. As this Court has previously recognized, plaintiffs' claims are only cognizable under the ATS to the extent that they represent "violations of international law" norms that are "specific, universal, and obligatory." Al Shimari, 263 F.Supp.3d at 599 (quoting Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692, 732, 124 S.Ct. 2739, 159 L.Ed.2d 718 (2004) ). As such, at the subject matter jurisdiction stage, the inquiries under the political question doctrine and the ATS merge, such that if plaintiffs' claims are cognizable under the ATS, they necessarily state a violation of settled international law and the political question doctrine is inapplicable. Therefore, the Court must determine whether plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged-and the evidence in the record supports-claims of torture, CIDT, or war crimes.

As the Court previously held, any definition of the prohibition against torture must begin with congressionally authorized statutes and any case law applying those statutes, but international agreements and sources may also be persuasive authority in determining the contours of settled international law. See Al Shimari, 263 F.Supp.3d at 600-02. The ATA defines torture as "an act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person within his custody or physical control." 18 U.S.C § 2340(1). This definition is substantially similar to those found in other domestic and international law sources. See, e.g., TVPA, 28 U.S.C § 1350(note)(2)(b)(1) (defining "torture" as "any act, directed against an individual in the offender's custody or physical control, by which severe pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering arising only from or inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions), whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on that individual" for a variety of specified purposes); Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, G.A. Res. 39/46, art. 1, U.N. Doc. A/RES/39/46 (Dec. 10, 1984) (defining "torture" as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for" a variety of specified purposes). In addition, both plaintiffs and defendant rely on similar definitions of torture to structure their arguments, see Def. Mem. 13, Pl. Opp. 19, further reinforcing the Court's conclusion that the prohibition against torture encompasses any act, or combination of acts, by a person acting under color of law that is intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering on an individual in that person's custody.

The Court has already adopted the analysis in Al-Quraishi v. Nakhla, 728 F.Supp.2d 702 (D. Md. 2010), rev'd on other grounds, 657 F.3d 201 (4th Cir. 2011), which held that "contractors operating alongside the military as interpreters for non-English speaking detainees at Abu Ghraib performed a public function" and operated as a "willful participants" in joint activity with state actors and, as such, were acting under color of law. Al Shimari, 263 F.Supp.3d at 601-02. Although the Court has not previously decided that the CACI interrogators here were also performing a public function or had operated as willful participants in joint activity with state actors, see id. at 602 ("[T]his Court does not currently decide the color-of-law question ...."), CACI appears to concede that under the Al-Quraishi standard, its interrogators were acting under color of law, Def. Mem. 13. In addition, CACI explicitly concedes that plaintiffs "were within the custody and physical control of the U.S. military." Id. Accordingly, the sole remaining question is whether the program of abuse suffered by plaintiffs was intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering.

Based simply on the plain meaning of these words, it is clear that the abuse suffered by plaintiffs was intended to inflict severe pain or suffering and rises to the level of torture. Over the course of six weeks, Al-Ejaili was subjected to repeated stress positions, including at least one that made him vomit black liquid; sexually-related humiliation; disruptive sleeping patterns and long periods of being kept naked or without food or water; and multiple instances of being threatened with dogs. The approximately ten to twelve times he was interrogated involved systematic beatings, including to the head, and being doused with hot and cold liquids. Al-Zuba'e was subjected to sexual assault and threats of rape; being left in a cold shower until he was unable to stand; dog bites and repeated beatings, including with sticks and to the genitals; repeated stress positions, including at least one that lasted an entire day and resulted in his urinating and defecating on himself; and threats that his family would be brought to Abu Ghraib. Al Shimari was subjected to systematic beatings, including on his head and genitals, with a baton and rifle, and some where he was hit against the wall; multiple stress positions, including one where he was forced to kneel on sharp stones, causing lasting damage to his legs; being threatened with dogs; a cold shower similar to Al-Zuba'e's, being doused with water, and being kept in a dark cell and with loud music nearby; threats of being shot and having his wife brought to Abu Ghraib; electric shocks; being dragged around the prison by a rope tied around his neck; and having fingers inserted into his rectum.

Beyond the obvious physical pain caused by this abuse, plaintiffs have also submitted evidence explaining how many of the tactics employed by interrogators were specifically designed to mentally and emotionally harm plaintiffs by breaking cultural and religious norms. According to a report authored by Dr. Mohammad Fadel, a law professor and expert on Islamic theology and law, the forced nudity, particularly in front of females, and sexual humiliation described by plaintiffs "represent gross violations of Muslim norms of sexual propriety." Pl. Opp. Ex. I ¶ 24. Islamic teaching, which is "further reflected in ... [c]ultural taboos surrounding nudity and sex roles in many Muslim societies," instills "a sense of modesty and bashfulness with respect to the human body (particularly when naked) and human sexuality." Id. ¶¶ 24-25. Because of Islamic teachings on the subject, a "Muslim would ordinarily feel deep shame, if not outright humiliation, at being forced to be naked in front of other members of the same sex, to say nothing of being naked in front of members of the different sex." Id. ¶ 38. Moreover, the interrogators' exploitation of phobias and use of solitary confinement and sleep deprivation are commonly used torture tactics that "are equally destructive as physical torture methods"-indeed, the suffering caused by these tactics "is very often aggravated by the lack of acknowledgment, due to the lack of scars, which leads to [survivors'] accounts very often being brushed away as mere allegations." Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, UN Doc. A/HRC/13/39/Add.5 ¶ 55 (Feb. 5, 2010).

There is evidence in the record that this mistreatment has caused severe and lasting physical and mental damage to all three plaintiffs. Each has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, and each has submitted an expert report detailing how these mental illnesses have caused significant problems in plaintiffs' personal and professional lives up through today. In addition, each plaintiff still suffers from physical symptoms, including pain and scarring, from the mistreatment. Accordingly, based simply on the plain meaning of the words "severe physical or mental pain or suffering," it is clear that plaintiffs' mistreatment rises to the level of torture.

The Court's conclusion that plaintiffs were tortured is also well-supported by case law interpreting and applying the prohibition against torture. For example, in Al-Saher v. INS, 268 F.3d 1143, 1147 (9th Cir. 2001), the court overturned the Board of Immigration Appeals, finding that plaintiff's description of interrogators using their hands and feet as well as electrical wires to deliver "sustained beatings" during plaintiff's month in Iraqi custody and, separately, his description of "severe beatings" and being "burned with cigarettes over an 8 to 10 day period" amounted to torture as defined in the Convention Against Torture. See also