§ 354.45.Armenian Genocide Victim With Claim Arising Out of Bank's Failure to Pay Over Deposited Or Looted Assets

Title 2. Of the Time of Commencing Civil Actions · Chapter 4. General Provisions as to the Time of Commencing Actions · Enacted 2006 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 354.45 lets Armenian Genocide victims and their heirs or beneficiaries sue a bank over deposited or looted assets from the 1890-1923 period, provided the action was filed on or before December 31, 2016.

Full Text of § 354.45

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d)

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) "Armenian Genocide victim" means any person of Armenian or other ancestry living in the Ottoman Empire during the period of 1890 to 1923, inclusive, who died, was injured in person or property, was deported, or escaped to avoid persecution during that period.

(2) "Bank" means any banking or financial institution, including any institution that issued bonds, that conducted business in Ottoman Turkey at any time during the period of 1890 to 1923, inclusive.

(3) "Deposited assets" means any and all cash, securities, bonds, gold, jewels or jewelry, or any other tangible or intangible items of personal property, or any documents indicating ownership or possessory interests in real, personal, or intangible property, that were deposited with and held by a bank.

(4) "Looted assets" means any and all personal, commercial, real, and intangible property, including cash, securities, gold, jewelry, businesses, artwork, equipment, and intellectual property, that was taken from the ownership or control of an individual, organization, or entity, by theft, forced transfer, or exploitation, during the period of 1890 to 1923, inclusive, by any person, organization, or entity acting on behalf of, or in furtherance of the acts of, the Turkish Government, that were received by and deposited with a bank.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, any Armenian Genocide victim, or heir or beneficiary of an Armenian Genocide victim, who resides in this state and has a claim arising out of a failure of a bank to pay or turn over deposited assets, or to turn over looted assets, may bring an action or may continue a pending action, to recover on that claim in any court of competent jurisdiction in this state, which court shall be deemed the proper forum for that action until its completion or resolution.

(c) Any action, including any pending action brought by an Armenian Genocide victim, or the heir or beneficiary of an Armenian Genocide victim, who resides in this state, seeking payment for, or the return of, deposited assets, or the return of looted assets, shall not be dismissed for failure to comply with the applicable statute of limitation, if the action is filed on or before December 31, 2016.

(d) The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of this section or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.

End

Plain-English Summary

Section 354.45 targets a narrower category than § 354.4: assets deposited with, or looted and later deposited with, a bank operating in Ottoman Turkey between 1890 and 1923. It lets an Armenian Genocide victim, or an heir or beneficiary, sue that bank for failing to pay over deposited assets or turn over looted assets.

Like the other historical-claims provisions in this chapter, the statute of limitations does not bar the action if it was filed on or before December 31, 2016. The section is also severable — invalidating one provision does not automatically invalidate the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can heirs of Armenian Genocide victims sue a bank over deposited assets in California?

Yes, if the action was filed on or before December 31, 2016. Section 354.45 covers claims against banks for failing to pay over deposited assets or turn over looted assets from the 1890-1923 period.

What is the difference between § 354.4 and § 354.45?

Section 354.4 covers insurance policies purchased between 1875 and 1923, while § 354.45 covers deposited or looted assets held by a bank during the narrower 1890-1923 period.

Amendment History

Added by Stats 2006 ch 443 (SB 1524),s 2, eff. 1/1/2007.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Information. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: armenian genocide bank deposits lawsuit californialooted assets bank claim deadline