Jury finds US defense contractor liable in torture at Abu Ghraib prison

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A federal jury on Tuesday found U.S. defense contractor CACI International CACI.N liable for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war and ordered it to pay $42 million in damages.

The jury's verdict found the Virginia-based company liable in the torture of Iraqi men at the prison in 2003-2004 and ordered it to pay each of the three plaintiffs $14 million in damages, the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Tuesday's verdict marked the first time a civilian contractor was held legally responsible for the torture at the prison.

The torture of prisoners held by U.S. forces during the Iraq war at the facility became a scandal during former President George W. Bush's administration after pictures of the abuse emerged in 2004.

The photos showed U.S. troops smiling, laughing and giving thumbs up as prisoners were forced into humiliating positions including a naked human pyramid and simulated sex. Detainees said they endured physical and sexual abuse, infliction of electric shocks and mock executions.

CACI denies its employees engaged in torture and said it will appeal Tuesday's verdict, calling it disappointing. CACI employees worked as interrogators at the prison under contract with the U.S. government.

The three Iraqi plaintiffs - Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and As'ad Al-Zuba'e - said CACI interrogators would direct military personnel to "soften up" detainees before they were questioned, leading to abuses across the facility.

The plaintiffs were eventually released without charge.

A CACI spokesperson said the company has been "wrongly subjected to long-term, negative affiliation with the unfortunate and reckless actions of a group of military police at Abu Ghraib prison from 2003 through 2004."

The U.S. invasion of Iraq, which followed lies that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and killed hundreds of thousands, led to widespread global condemnation.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)

((Kanishka.Singh@thomsonreuters.com; +12024508248;))