For the first time since California and the U.S. Congress passed laws strengthening claims to Nazi-looted art, two new lawsuits have been filed in California courts seeking the restitution of artworks taken during World War II. The cases, filed on Monday, target prominent institutions holding disputed pieces seized under Nazi persecution.

One lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, involves the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland. The plaintiffs, daughters of Dina Gottliebova Babbitt, a Holocaust survivor, seek the return of seven watercolors their mother was forced to create under duress for Nazi physician Josef Mengele. The paintings depict Roma prisoners who were victims of Mengele’s experiments. According to the lawsuit, Babbitt painted the portraits to save herself and her mother from the gas chambers. After the war, Babbitt settled in California, working in animation studios such as MGM and Warner Bros., contributing to iconic characters. The family argues that California’s new 2024 law supports their claim to reclaim these works, which the Polish museum has long held despite acknowledging the family’s rights.

The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum, however, maintains that the paintings are crucial historical documents that should remain in the collection. A museum spokesperson stated the watercolors represent rare visual evidence of Mengele’s crimes and that many in the Roma community support their retention as a testament to Nazi atrocities.

The second lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, involves a pair of 16th-century paintings, “Adam and Eve,” by Lucas Cranach the Elder, held by the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. The artwork was part of a large collection owned by Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, confiscated by Hermann Göring during the Nazi era. After World War II, the collection was recovered by Allied forces and transferred to the Dutch government. The diptych was later sold to the Norton Simon Museum in 1971.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and its board chair, Daniel Gryczman, are seeking the return of the paintings after Marei von Saher, an heir of Goudstikker who had long pursued restitution, assigned her rights to the Federation. The Federation has stated it plans to use most proceeds from any return or sale of the paintings to support local Holocaust survivors living in poverty. Charlène von Saher, Marei’s daughter, expressed hope that the new laws would facilitate justice for their family and other heirs of Nazi-looted property.

The Norton Simon Art Foundation is reviewing the lawsuit but maintains that prior court rulings, including a U.S. Supreme Court decision, have confirmed its legal ownership of the artworks and pledged to keep them accessible to the public.

These lawsuits are linked to broader legal and legislative efforts influenced by an earlier high-profile claim involving the Cassirer family, who have sought the return of Camille Pissarro’s painting “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon. Effect of Rain” from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection in Madrid. The case has persisted for nearly two decades and contributed to changes in California’s statutes, clarifying that state law supersedes conflicting foreign laws in cases of Nazi-looted art and removing statutes of limitations for such claims. In 2025, Congress passed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act to further support claimants.

Spain, which owns the Pissarro painting through the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, argues the artwork was legally acquired before its acquisition by the state. The case is currently under review in U.S. courts, with a hearing scheduled for next month. California is defending the constitutionality of its law, which Spain’s representatives have challenged.

David Cassirer, a descendant involved in the Pissarro claim, praised the legislative changes as offering renewed opportunities for families affected by Nazi art theft. He emphasized a commitment to assist other victims of looting, highlighting growing government momentum toward restitution and justice in cases involving art taken during the Holocaust.