In a significant legal challenge against US military operations, the families of two Trinidadian men killed in a missile strike have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the US government. The complaint, lodged in the US District Court for Massachusetts on January 27, alleges extrajudicial killing and seeks accountability for what plaintiffs describe as unlawful lethal force.
The case centers on the deaths of Chad Joseph, 26, and Rishi Samaroo, 41, who were among six civilians killed when a US missile struck their small boat traveling from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago on October 14, 2025. According to court documents, the victims were returning to their homes in Las Cuevas when the attack occurred.
Legal representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Seton Hall Law School argue the strike was part of a broader pattern of military actions targeting civilian vessels in Caribbean and Pacific waters. The lawsuit claims at least 36 similar strikes have occurred since September 2025, resulting in approximately 125 fatalities.
Lenore Burnley, Joseph’s mother, and Sallycar Korasingh, Samaroo’s sister, filed the action on behalf of all surviving family members. Burnley described her son as a devoted family man who frequently traveled to Venezuela for fishing and agricultural work to support his wife and three children. Korasingh remembered her brother as a hardworking individual rebuilding his life after completing a 15-year prison sentence.
The legal action invokes two jurisdictional foundations: the Death on the High Seas Act, which permits lawsuits for deaths occurring in international waters, and the Alien Tort Statute, which allows foreign nationals to seek redress in US courts for severe violations of international human rights law.
The complaint systematically challenges the legal basis for the strikes, arguing they lack proper congressional authorization and violate both international humanitarian law and US constitutional principles. Legal director Baher Azmy of the Center for Constitutional Rights characterized the killings as ‘absurd and dangerous,’ warning against unilateral state declarations of war to justify lethal force.
The case has drawn attention to the Trump administration’s maritime security operations, with President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth having publicly acknowledged the strikes and released footage of the operations. Notably, US authorities have not publicly identified any of the victims.
Trinidad’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers previously stated the government had no information linking either man to illegal activities, while Attorney General John Jeremie asserted the strikes were consistent with international law based on advice from an unidentified external expert.
The lawsuit seeks to establish judicial oversight of military actions that plaintiffs argue constitute ‘manifestly unlawful’ killings ordered by highest levels of government. Professor Jonathan Hafetz of Seton Hall Law School warned the case carries profound implications for international legal norms and US standing in the global community.
