Stephen M. Truitt is an American lawyer in
Washington, D.C. who worked for the
Pepper Hamilton law firm.
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Education
Truitt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from
Harvard University in 1963 and a Bachelor of Laws from
Yale Law School in 1966.
Career
Although retired from Pepper Hamilton, Truitt continues to practice general civil litigation as a solo practitioner. In addition, along with former Pepper colleague
Charles Carpenter, he has volunteered to serve
pro bono
( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...
to help
Guantanamo captives, and represents two men currently held there: Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah (a.k.a.
Sa id Salih Sa id Nashir) and Maher El Falesteny (a.k.a.
Mahrar Rafat Al Quwari). Former client
Rami Bin Said Al Taibi was transferred to Saudi Arabia in 2007.
mirror
On behalf of
Hani Abdullah, Carpenter and Truitt sought a report concerning possible destruction of evidence by the
United States Department of Defense and
Central Intelligence Agency, notwithstanding a
court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out o ...
not to destroy evidence.
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Truitt is a plaintiff in ''
Wilner v. NSA''.
Truitt and Carpenter also represented the Native Forest Council in its challenge of the
Northwest Forest Plan for protection of the
northern spotted owl.
Truitt represented a number of companies that had claims against Iran arising from the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
before the
Iran–United States Claims Tribunal, and was the first to address the full tribunal in the Forum Clause cases. He later represented a class of Tribunal claimants whose claims were espoused by the United States and settled. He also represented the
National Iranian Oil Company in an action against Ashland Oil, Inc. for $283,000,000.00 in oil shipments not paid for by Ashland. This case was settled in 1989 just prior to trial set in Mississippi with Ashland paying NIOC $325,000,000.00 in settlement of NIOC's claims and Ashland's counterclaims.
Previously, Truitt represented the
Aleut community of
St. Paul Island (a federally-recognized tribe) in a suit against the United States filed in 1954 and finally litigated in the late 1960s and 1970s. The claims arose under the Indian Claims Commission Act. The resulting award is the only one ever made exclusively under clause 2(5) of that act permitting recoveries for breach of the government's duty to "deal fairly and honorably with the tribe according to rules not known at law or equity." The award was essentially for a government imposed serfdom on the Tribe from 1876 to 1946.
Personal life
He is the grandson of former Vice President
Alben W. Barkley, who shared the ticket with President
Harry S. Truman in 1948. Truitt is credited with coining the term "
Veep" for Barkley at age 10.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Truitt, Stephen M.
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Barkley family
Harvard College alumni
Yale Law School alumni