Court grapples with disputes over efforts to recover losses from Cuban confiscations

SCOTUSblog

by Amy Howe

February 23, 2026

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently grappled with two cases involving disputes over whether American companies can recover losses from property confiscated by the Cuban government decades ago under the Helms-Burton Act. The cases, *Havana Docks Corporation v. Royal Caribbean Cruises* and *Exxon Mobil v. Corporacion Cimex*, focus on interpretations of Title III of the act, which allows U.S. nationals to sue for damages over confiscated property. In the first case, Havana Docks argued that cruise lines should compensate it for bringing tourists to a Havana port terminal between 2016 and 2019, despite the company’s ownership rights expiring in 2004. The federal appeals court ruled against Havana Docks, stating that only specific property interests could be sued over under the law. The company countered that its docks were “confiscated” by Cuba in 1960 and that cruise lines trafficking in those facilities should still be liable. The second case involves Exxon Mobil suing Cuban state-owned companies for seizures of assets from Standard Oil, Exxon’s predecessor. Exxon claims these actions constitute trafficking under the Helms-Burton Act. The Cuban government argues that sovereign acts

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Originally published on SCOTUSblog on 2/23/2026