London
A group of American descendants of slaves filed a lawsuit this week demanding compensation from the British insurance company Lloyd’s of London. Lloyd’s was founded, in 1688, to underwrite merchant ships, and much of its early business came from insuring slave ships. The company is now worth billions. The Americans bringing the suit say they have DNA evidence linking them directly to some of the Africans transported on ships insured by Lloyd’s. “We were referred to as cargo on shipping records, not by our names,” said plaintiff Deadria Farmer-Paellman, who traces her ancestry to the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone. “This, as well as all the murder and mistreatment our ancestors suffered, is the definition of genocide, and Lloyd’s of London aided and abetted it.” A Lloyd’s spokesman said the company had faced slavery lawsuits before and that courts had always tossed them out.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
