§6083 Proof of Ownership of Claims to Confiscated Property

Summary

A court must accept a certification from the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission as final proof that a person owned confiscated property. If the Commission has not certified a claim, the court can hire a special master — including the Commission itself — to figure out who owned the property and how much it was worth. Those findings are only for the court case and do not become official certifications under the 1949 Act. The court must not treat foreign governments’ or organizations’ rulings about value or invalidity as final unless they came from binding international arbitration that included the United States or the claimant. Nothing here forces or allows claims by Cuban nationals who became U.S. citizens after their property was taken to be added to the Commission’s certified claims for future negotiations with Cuba. Nothing here changes certifications made under the 1949 Act before March 12, 1996.