Family of UN rapporteur Albanese sues Trump over sanctions

The family of the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, sues US President Donald Trump and members of his administration over their sanctions against Albanese.

The plaintiffs in the case are Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Cali, and her daughter, a minor who is identified by her initials, L.C. The other defendants are US Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Albanese, who has long been accused of antisemitism and extremist rhetoric against Israel, was sanctioned by the Trump administration last year for alleged “political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel.

Albanese has said the sanctions have been devastating, barring her from work opportunities and everyday financial transactions.

Cali and Albanese own a home in Washington, DC. Their daughter was born in the US, and the family is “part of the national community,” says the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Washington, DC.

The lawsuit claims the sanctions are a violation of First Amendment free speech protections; bar the family from accessing its home in an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment; and violate Fifth Amendment due process rights.

Albanese and Cali are not US citizens, but the lawsuit argues that their daughter, who is a citizen, can file the claims.

Albanese is barred from bringing the claims in her own name by UN policy.

The family lived in the US from 2012 until 2015.

The lawsuit asks the court to rule that the sanctions are unconstitutional.

Albanese, in her role as an independent investigator for the UN, is supposed to act as an objective observer, but is accused of functioning more as an anti-Israel activist. She has parlayed her position into celebrity status, speaking at conferences and in the media, featuring in a documentary film, publishing popular books and garnering more than 1 million followers on social media.