November 29, 2007 (LPAC)--Families of innocent Iraqis killed or wounded by Blackwater guards on September 16th have filed suit for war crimes, charging that a quarter of the company's armed men in Iraq use steroids and other "judgment-altering substances," and that Blackwater fosters "a culture of lawlessness."

Lead Attorney Susan Burke, who previously pressed a suit concerning torture at Iraq's Abu Graib prison, said that Blackwater's "corporate culture ... rewards the use of excessive force."

Simultaneous with the private lawsuit and at the same U.S. District Courthouse in the District of Columbia, Department of Justice prosecutors have convened a grand jury seeking to indict Blackwater and its people for the September 16th Baghdad shootings in which 17 Iraqis died.

Blackwater spokesmen have responded to the lawsuit by alleging that the company forbids the use of drugs. Steroids used for pumping up muscles are thought to sometimes result in disassociation or rage states.