Flight PS752

U.S.-citizen families of passengers killed when Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 on January 8, 2020 are suing Iran in federal court in Washington.

At a glance

• Case: Doe v. Islamic Republic of Iran
• Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
• Decided / filed: Filed October 2020
• Violations: Extrajudicial killing; aircraft sabotage (claimed)
• Status: Pending

What happened

Hours after Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, Flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 bound for Kyiv, took off from Tehran. Minutes after departure, IRGC air defense operators fired two missiles at the airliner, about 30 seconds apart. All 176 people on board were killed. Iran first denied responsibility, then called it human error.

The case

In October 2020, the firm filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of U.S.-citizen relatives against Iran, the IRGC and others, alleging extrajudicial killing and aircraft sabotage. The plaintiffs proceed anonymously.

Proceedings elsewhere

• In May 2021, the Ontario Superior Court found the missile strikes were intentional and an act of terrorism.
• In August 2025, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld findings that Ukraine International Airlines was negligent, making its liability under the Montreal Convention unlimited.
• Since July 2023, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have pursued Iran at the International Court of Justice.

Why it matters

The U.S. case seeks a judicial finding by an American court that Iran is responsible for destroying a civilian airliner and killing everyone on board, alongside the Canadian judgments and the interstate case at the ICJ.

Sources and coverage

CBC · ICJ press release · Law360 Canada

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.