Two Texas-based companies and two with "significant operations" in the state were accused of indirectly supplying technology used in Russian attacks that have injured and killed Ukrainian civilians in five lawsuits filed Wednesday.
The suits allege the defendants failed to prevent Russia and other countries from getting semiconductors and microchips the companies produced or distributed and using them in weapons systems used for attacks during the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Mikal Watts, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, said at a press conference in Dallas Wednesday he spent nine days in Ukraine building the cases.
"We took photographs, we collected evidence, we took video, and the bottom line is each drone comes with the equivalent of a black box that survives the impact," Watts said. "When you go in, you can see the chip technology, you can see names of companies from Dallas, Texas."
Dallas-based Texas Instruments and Mansfield-based Mouser Electronics are named in the suits filed in Dallas County court, along with Advanced Micro Devices, which has offices across the state, and Intel Corporation, which has a facility in Austin.
The plaintiffs are the victims of five different strikes, including children as young as 3. Each suit is seeking more than $1,000,000 in damages.
An Intel spokesperson said in an email the company does not conduct business in Russia and suspended all shipments to customers in Russia and Belarus when the war broke out.
"We operate in strict accordance with export laws, sanctions and regulations in the U.S. and every market in which we operate, and we hold our suppliers, customers, and distributors accountable to these same standards," the spokesperson said. "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation."
Kevin Hess, Mouser Electronics' senior vice president of marketing Electronics, also issued a statement: "We deeply respect the legal process and will respond to this matter in court, versus the media."
KERA News reached out to the other defendants and will update this story with any responses.
Microchips, which are made of semiconductors, power a wide variety of electronic devices. Attorneys described a microchip as the "steering wheel" that helps guide a missile or drone used in a strike.
Middlemen in Iran and China received the technology and supplied it to Russia, the suits allege, specifically Iranian drones like the Shahed 131 and Russian missiles like the Iskander-M and Kh-101.
The plaintiffs' claims against the companies include negligence, conspiracy to violate export restrictions and wrongful death. The victims argue the companies owe a "common-law duty of care" under U.S. foreign policy to not aid Russia with microchips and other technology that can be used for war.
"What's happened in Ukraine, we all know, is atrocious," said Charla Aldous, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. "But what's worse is to know that American companies, knowing what was happening, or should have known what was happening, was continuing to give supplies to the Russians, which would allow them to kill civilians, including doctors, mothers, fathers, and children in Ukraine."
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA's law and justice reporter. Got a tip? Email Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
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