The Supreme Court said Tuesday it would use a case about Nazi-era stolen art to clarify when foreign governments can be sued in U.S. courts.
Immediately at stake in the case is $150 million in paintings that an elderly California woman wants returned. They were stolen from her family 65 years ago in Austria and ended up in the government's hands.
More broadly, her lawsuit against the Austrian Gallery and the Austrian state over the six Gustav Klimt paintings gives the court an opportunity to clarify when countries are immune from lawsuits involving disputes that predate a 1952 shield from lawsuits.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that if the allegations in Maria V. Altmann's case are proven, the paintings were taken in violation of international law and she can sue in the United States.
CBS news reports the story here.