US EditionSupreme Court allows soldier to sue contractor over suicide bombing
The justices said federal law does not shield military contractors when negligence in a combat zone injures service members, sending the case back for review.
- On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow Army Spc. Winston Hencley to sue Fluor Corporation over a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, rejecting the contractor's immunity claim from state-law negligence suits.
- During a 2016 Veterans Day weekend 5K race at Bagram Airfield, Fluor employee Ahmad Nayeb detonated an explosive vest after being confronted by Hencley, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen.
- Projectiles from the blast fractured Hencley's skull and tore through his brain, leaving him without full use of much of his left side; court documents detail abnormal brainwaves, seizures and traumatic brain injury.
- Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution has "never been understood to bar all war-related tort suits," while Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented.
- The decision exposes military contractors to state-law tort liability even when working for the government, as Hencley's suit alleges Fluor negligently allowed Nayeb to be employed and failed supervisory duties.
79 Articles
79 Articles
Supreme Court Revives Veteran Bombing Lawsuit
The Supreme Court allowed a veteran’s lawsuit surrounding a suicide bombing to continue, vacating a previous lower court ruling. Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote the majority opinion. According to the ruling, military contractors are not automatically shielded from liability when their actions are not authorized by the military. Former U.S.…
SCOTUS Lets Wounded Soldier Sue Military Contractor
A long-running fight over who can be blamed for a deadly insider attack on a US base in Afghanistan will go forward in court, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In a 6–3 decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the court said Army Specialist Winston Hencely can continue his lawsuit against...
Supreme Court Rules Soldiers Can Sue Military Contractors for Negligence in Combat Zones
Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date. The Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 that soldiers can sue military contractors when the contractor’s own negligence caused them harm. Some shit you should know before you dig in: Ba…
Confusion as Alito goes against Thomas in big case: 'I hate it when mommy and daddy fight'
A rare clash between Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas left the internet stunned on Wednesday after Alito dissented in the case involving a Taliban suicide bombing and whether federal or state law should take precedence, Newsweek reported. Army specialist Winston T. Hencely fil...
Supreme Court rules in favor of Army veteran wounded in suicide attack
The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of a U.S. Army veteran wounded in a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, allowing him to sue a military contractor for damages after it allegedly failed to supervise the attacker who was an employee. The 6-3 decision reverses lower court rulings which had said the contractor…
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