Otto Warmbier’s Family Awarded $500 Million In North Korea Suit

Otto Warmbier’s parents at the State of the Union address in January. Image by Getty

By Alyssa Fisher December 24, 2018

The family of Otto Warmbier was awarded $500 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against North Korea, Bloomberg reported.

Warmbier, a 22-year-old American student, died last year after being detained by North Korea for more than 17 months. He was returned to his family with severe brain damage. His parents, Fred and Cynthia Warmbier, sued the North Korean government in April, claiming that their son was tortured.

North Korea didn’t contest the case, according to Bloomberg, which could mean the country may refuse to pay the damages.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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