San Francisco, CA – Appeals Court Orders New Look at Ownership of Looted Art by Nazis

San Francisco, CA – A federal appeals court has breathed new life into a lawsuit filed by a Connecticut woman against the Norton Simon Museum of Art over ownership of art seized by the Nazis.

Marei von Saher of Greenwich sued in 2007 claiming she was the rightful owner of a pair of 16th Century wood panels painted by famed German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder.

But a trial court in Los Angeles tossed out the case, ruling unconstitutional a California law extending the statute of limitations for heirs of Holocaust victims.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with that holding today, but said von Saher may have another legal avenue. It says the lawsuit may proceed if von Saher can prove she inherited the art before the statute of limitations expired under another state law not related to Holocaust survivors.