The US Department of State will face a lawsuit from three foreign service workers who say their Havana Syndrome benefit claims were improperly denied.
While the workers’ court filings are not a “model of clarity,” Judge Amir Ali wrote in denying the government’s motion to dismiss, at this stage it’s enough that they plausibly alleged the claim denials were unfair.
The workers filed for compensation under the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act, which provides payments for State Department employees who have suffered brain injuries consistent with Havana Syndrome while on the job.
The mysterious condition has been reported by US government workers around the world. Some have suggested it is the result of “pulsed microwave radio frequency radiation,” though it may instead stem from other causes or might simply be mass psychogenic illness.
The three anonymous workers’ claims for payment under the HAVANA Act were denied on the grounds that they didn’t tie their symptoms directly to a noticeable external “sensory event” that occurred just before or concurrent with the onset of the health issues.
They filed suit against the State Department in 2024 under the Administrative Procedure Act, saying the benefit denials were arbitrary, capricious, and unwarranted by the facts.
At this stage it’s “at least plausible” that the denials were improper, said Ali, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Plaintiffs are represented by Law Office of Mark S. Zaid PC and Crowley So LLP. The State Department is represented by the US Department of Justice.
The case is Am. Foreign Serv. Ass’n v. US Dep’t of State, D.D.C., No. 1:24-cv-03385, order on motion to dismiss 2/13/26.
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