U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) has introduced the Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at providing compensation to 50 senior Pan Am pilots affected by the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The legislation seeks to address what its sponsors call an oversight in previous settlements related to the attack.
Although families of victims and other impacted groups have received compensation through the U.S.–Libya Humanitarian Settlement Agreement, these pilots were not included. The bill would make available approximately $42 million in Libyan settlement funds—originally paid as part of a 2008 terrorism claims agreement—for distribution to these pilots and their families. These funds are not sourced from U.S. taxpayers.
“50 American pilots, many of whom proudly served our nation in uniform, lost their pensions, healthcare, and livelihoods when Pan Am collapsed after the Lockerbie attack. Every other victim group has been compensated, and they are the only Americans still left without relief,” said Rep. Young Kim. “Congress has a responsibility to finish the job, honor our commitments, and ensure these families receive justice. The settlement paid out by Libya—not U.S. taxpayer funds—was not meant for the U.S. government, and it is time to right a decades-old wrong.”
Rep. Zoe Lofgren joined as a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill. “I am proud to join Rep. Young Kim in reintroducing the House version of the Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act to ensure the 50 pilots and their families receive long-overdue justice and compensation,” Lofgren stated. “Because these pilots, including 18 Californians, were not included in prior settlements, it’s up to Congress to get these pilots access to remaining funds from the U.S.-Libya Humanitarian Settlement Agreement.”
Bruce Abbott, a former Pan Am pilot from California who began his career as a Navy pilot, commented on his experience: “My career in aviation began as a pilot in the Navy, and ended with the collapse of Pan Am… It was a life experience built on a childhood dream, and I could not have found a better forum, except for the tragedy of Lockerbie and its terrible consequences. Pan Am was an extended family and a source of pride for everyone associated with it. With Lockerbie, everything changed.”
The proposed act would direct the Treasury Department to re-establish a claims fund using $42 million remaining from Libyan settlement payments and authorize the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to process claims from eligible pilots or their estates.
Young Kim currently serves in Congress representing California’s 40th district after replacing Gil Cisneros in 2021 (https://kim.house.gov/about). She previously served in the California State Assembly between 2014 and 2016 (https://www.ocregister.com/2014/11/05/election-2014-young-kim-declares-victory-in-65th-district-assembly-race/). Born in Incheon, South Korea in 1962, she now resides in La Habra (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-10/who-is-young-kim-republican-congresswoman). Kim earned her BBA from University of Southern California in 1985 (https://news.usc.edu/179899/usc-alumna-young-kim-california-congresswoman-elected/).
In 2008 Libya paid $1.5 billion as part of efforts to settle terrorism-related claims against it by American victims’ groups; most eligible groups have since received compensation except these senior pilots who could not find new employment due to age restrictions at that time.
The Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act seeks congressional approval so that this final group may receive compensation decades after suffering financial loss following Pan Am’s bankruptcy linked directly to Libya’s state-sponsored terrorist act.
