STS Jewels' September 11 Suit Dismissed

By Morgan Beard, Editor-in-Chief

Charges against tanzanite wholesaler STS Jewels Inc., named as one of the defendants in a civil suit brought by vicitims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, were dismissed on April 5.

A motion for dismissal filed in mid-March by STS Jewels was accepted on the condition that the company not countersue for legal costs. Although the plaintiffs' attorneys could not be reached for comment, it appears that they could not find enough evidence to sustain the suit against STS Jewels.

Why STS Jewels was singled out from other U.S. tanzanite dealers remains a mystery. "I do not know for sure," admits STS Jewels CEO Sunil Agrawal. "The only guess that looks feasible is that I was the only company quoted in the Wall Street Journal as an industry source," he said, referring to an article on QVC's decision not to sell tanzanite.

The official complaint in the lawsuit says: "STS Jewels had actual or constructive knowledge that its sales of tanzanite provided (and continue to provide) financial support to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. With that knowledge, STS aided and abetted the Terrorist Defendants' various acts of terrorism described throughout the Complaint by providing the financial support and basis for those activities to take place." No indication is given of the evidence for that claim.

The suit sought to prevent STS Jewels from buying or selling tanzanite, and to force the company to donate all the proceeds from their past sales of tanzanite jewelry to a September 11 relief fund. It also seeks $1 billion in compensation from the terrorist defendants.

The case against the other defendants -- including everyone from Osama bin Laden to the Taliban to the Tanzanian Mineral Dealers Association (TAMIDA) -- will proceed on schedule. TAMIDA is the only industry company or association that remains on the defendants' list.