Expedia is demanding a $2.75 million sanction against a Cuban-American family and its attorneys, accusing them of knowingly fabricating claims under the Helms-Burton Act to pursue property seized by Fidel Castro’s regime. The travel giant told a Delaware federal judge that the plaintiffs’ case was built on backdated documents and deliberate deception.
The bid follows a jury trial win for Expedia in July, when jurors unanimously found that the plaintiffs—Central Santa Lucia LC (CSL)—failed to prove they legitimately owned rights to the disputed property.
Alleged “Backdated” Assignments
According to Expedia, CSL fraudulently backdated documents to March 7, 1996, just five days before the Helms-Burton Act cut off new claims. Without the forged timeline, the family—descendants of Cuban landowners whose 102,300 acres were seized in 1960—had no standing to sue.
“The fact that the assignment documents were backdated is and always has been obvious on the face of the documents,” Expedia argued in its sanctions motion.
CSL’s lawsuit, filed in 2022, alleged Expedia profited by directing tourists to luxury hotels built on the seized coastal property.
