The family of Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, sued President Trump and senior U.S. officials on Wednesday, challenging sanctions imposed on her over her advocacy for the prosecution of Israeli leaders and international companies connected to the war in Gaza, The New York Times reported.

The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues that the sanctions violate Albanese’s First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights, including by unreasonably seizing property without due process, in addition to violating U.S. sanctions laws. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the sanctions unconstitutional, according to the Times.

Because U.N. policy bars Albanese from bringing the suit in her own name, it was filed by her husband, Massimiliano Cali, and their child, who was not identified, the Times reported. The complaint says the sanctions have cut Albanese off from bank accounts, strained relationships with several universities, limited her ability to travel to the United States, and restricted access to her apartment in Washington.

The U.S. State Department told the newspaper that the “sanctions are legal and appropriate,” and accused Albanese of supporting “antisemitism, terrorism,” and engaging in “lawfare” against U.S. interests.

But alongside U.S. sanctions imposed on multiple officials with the International Criminal Court, the restrictions targeting Albanese have drawn sharp criticism. 

A Reuters report on the designations said that Albanese’s troubles began after she sent “confidential” letters in spring 2025 to more than a dozen U.S. companies and two charities warning that they could be named in a forthcoming U.N. report for “contributing to gross violations of human rights” by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. The companies included Alphabet, Amazon, Caterpillar, Chevron, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft and Palantir, Reuters said.

The letters prompted alarm among corporate recipients, and at least two companies sought help from the White House, according to the report. Despite the U.N.’s position that Albanese has diplomatic immunity, the Trump administration sanctioned her for “writing threatening letters” and for urging the ICC to investigate the companies. 

The sanctions put Albanese and ICC staff on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list, alongside figures such as suspected al Qaeda terrorists and major drug traffickers, Reuters said.

In the lawsuit, Trump and Rubio are named as defendants alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Times reported.

The complaint details what it calls severe professional and financial consequences, saying Albanese lost access to the global financial system and was forced to use cash for daily transactions, and that Georgetown and Columbia have severed ties with her, according to the report.

The lawsuit also alleges that the sanctions bar Albanese and her husband from entering the United States, preventing him from visiting the headquarters of his employer, the World Bank. It adds that their daughter, a U.S. citizen, cannot return to her country of birth and the family cannot access their home in Washington, according to the Times.

A Bloomberg report published earlier this month said that John Hurley, the U.S. undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, intended to step down from his role following a clash with clash with senior White House officials over the decision to pursue sanctions against political opponents, including foreign judicial officials and international institutions.

Read more at The New York Times