The Trump administration has intervened in a federal lawsuit involving Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, arguing that she is protected by head-of-state immunity and should not be required to pay a $314 million judgment awarded to three Americans who were imprisoned in the South American country.
In a filing submitted Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Department of Justice urged the court to dismiss the claims against Rodríguez, saying that because the United States recognizes her as Venezuela's sitting head of state, she is immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts while in office.
