press releases

Mary Patrice Brown Named Special Master for US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC—January 28, 2021—O’Melveny Of Counsel Mary Patrice Brown was recently named by the US Department of Justice as Special Master of the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST Fund).

In her new role, Brown will oversee the establishment and administration of the USVSST Fund to provide compensation to certain US persons who were injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism. The appointment was made on January 4, 2021. Brown undertakes this public service while continuing her work with O’Melveny and its clients.

A litigator and member of O’Melveny’s White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations practice, Brown has helped companies and industries manage and resolve sensitive and consequential matters and disputes. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, Brown held many senior leadership positions within the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, Chief of the Criminal Division at the US Attorney’s Office, and head of the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility. She handled over 100 criminal appeals and jury and bench trials.

Brown brings this extensive experience, as well as judgment and compassion, to this new role.

As specified by Congress, the USVSST Fund may compensate eligible United States persons who:

• hold a final judgment issued by a United States district court awarding the applicant compensatory damages arising from acts of international terrorism for which a foreign state sponsor of terrorism was found not immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act;
• were taken and held hostage from the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, during the period beginning November 4, 1979, and ending January 20, 1981, and certain of their spouses and children; or
• are the personal representative of a deceased individual in those categories.

“We’re very proud of Mary Pat for taking on this crucial role that will make an enormous difference in the lives of those affected by state-sponsored terrorism,” said Jeremy Maltby, managing partner of O’Melveny’s Washington, DC office. “Under Mary Pat’s leadership, victims and their family members can be assured that their claims will be processed promptly, fairly, and transparently.”

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