German museum files motion to dismiss US suit by Nazi-era art dealer heirs seeking restitution

BERLIN – The organization overseeing Berlin’s museums says it has filed a motion to dismiss a U.S. lawsuit brought by the heirs of Nazi-era Jewish art dealers demanding the return of a medieval treasure trove worth an estimated $226 million.

The February suit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeks the return of the so-called Guelph Treasure, which the heirs claim their ancestors sold under Nazi pressure to the state of Prussia.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation said Friday it’s “committed to the fair and just resolution of legitimate claims to Nazi-confiscated art” but maintains that “the Guelph Treasure’s sale in 1935 was not a forced sale due to Nazi persecution.”

The plaintiffs maintain that any transaction in the Nazi era involving Jews and the state must be considered void.

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