[JURIST] US Army Special Forces Sgt. Layne Morris [Wikipedia profile] and the family of Sgt. Christopher Speer [Wikipedia profile] were awarded $102.6 million in triple damages in a civil default judgment against Egyptian-Canadian Ahmed Said Khadr [Wikipedia profile; CBC family backgrounder] Friday based on a July 27, 2002 attack in Afghanistan [JURIST news archive] that killed Speer and wounded Morris. Khadr, an alleged al-Qaida financier, is the father of then-15-year-old Omar Khadr [JURIST news archive] who admitted to killing Speer [JURIST report] with a grenade and allegedly wounded Morris in the 2002 skirmish after being taught to attack American targets by his father. Omar Khadr was arrested immediately following the incident and has since been detained in Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive].

Utah US District Judge Paul Cassell [official profile] said in his ruling Friday that the lawsuit may mark the first filed by a US soldier under the Patriot Act [JURIST news archive; text] extending civil liability for terrorist acts. The Salt Lake Tribune has more.