Court Denies Claims For Land By Jews’ Heirs

A court Monday turned down the first six of more than 900 land claims filed by the descendants of Jews who lived under Nazism, rejecting the argument that the properties were sold under duress.

The judges from the Potsdam administrative court ruled that although the original owners did face discrimination, the six plots of land outside Berlin were sold for other reasons. Thus, the court said, the heirs do not have a right to compensation.

Land claims in the former East Germany typically have been difficult to resolve because of the amount of time elapsed and the muddled state of property records.