Presidential Airways, a division of the private military company Blackwater Worldwide, is being sued for wrongful death by the families of three soldiers killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan.

The company has asked the court to use Shari'a Islamic law to make a ruling on the lawsuit. Why would a right-wing Christian company like Blackwater want to do that?

If the judge agrees, it would essentially end the lawsuit over a botched flight supporting the U.S. military. Shari'a law does not hold a company responsible for the actions of employees performed within the course of their work. Erik Prince, who owns Blackwater and Presidential Airways, briefly discussed the lawsuit in a meeting today with editors and reporters at The News & Observer. Prince was asked to justify having a case involving an American company working for the U.S. government decided by Afghan law. "Where did the crash occur?" Prince said. "Afghanistan."

According to NPR, Blackwater has over $800 million in government contracts.

Blackwater says crash lawsuit governed by Islamic law (via Reason)