Academin Company, formerly known as Blackwater, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the families of four security contractors whose family members died in Iraq. Though a North Carolina federal judge had originally dismissed the lawsuit, the lawsuit was revived due to a decision of the Federal U.S. Court of Appeals in the 4th Circuit.

The contractors literally sacrificed their lives while performing their job related functions for Blackwater. They were escorting a supply convoy in Fallujah back in 2004 when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents. The insurgents tortured the contractors, set their bodies on fire and eventually executed them. The remains of two of the contractors were then put on display by having their bodies hung from a bridge that crossed over the Euphrates River.

As a part of the lawsuit, Blackwater was accused of placing the contractors on a dangerous detail into an area occupied by Iraqi insurgents. The contractors were deployed to this area without the protection of an armored vehicle or automatic weapons. Essentially, Blackwater was assigning private contractors to roles more fitted for members of the United States military.

This sad story epitomized the indifference of certain companies to the plight of contractors that worked for them. Private contractors were subjected to tasks that the company knew or should have known could not be safely performed. Though none of the attorneys involved in the settlement of this lawsuit disclosed details of any agreement, hopefully the responsible party presented the family members with a generous settlement.

Source: ABC.net.au, "Blackwater settles Iraq contractor death suit," Jan. 7, 2012