By Jenna Greene

(Reuters) -When a federal jury in Manhattan on Friday found French bank BNP Paribas liable for aiding Sudan’s genocidal regime by providing banking services that violated American sanctions, the decision set the stage for what’s likely to be a fierce battle on appeal.

The stakes are huge. Victims’ lawyers say the jury’s $20.75 million award clears the way for an estimated class of 23,000 Sudanese refugees in the U.S. to “seek billions more in recovery.”

The three Sudanese plaintiffs alleged they suffered severe human rights abuses under Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir. Their cases were selected for a so-called bellwether trial — commonly used in class actions to gauge how juries will respond to a larger set of claims.

BNP Paribas in a statement said it “strongly

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