WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A lawsuit alleging that civilian American interrogators subjected Iraqis to torture and severe mistreatment at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad can move forward, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Detainees leave Baghdad Central Prison -- also known as Abu Ghraib -- in 2006. U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Bruce Lee rejected claims by defense contractor CACI that the company was immune from accountability over claims of physical abuse, war crimes and civil conspiracy. Reports of torture and humiliation by soldiers and civilian contractors against Iraqi detainees created a political, diplomatic and public relations nightmare for the Bush administration in the months and years after the 2003 Iraq invasion.
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Judge rejects immunity claims from defense contractor CACI
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In lawsuit, four Iraqi detainees accuse interrogators of physical, mental abuse
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Interrogators also accused of destroying evidence, misleading officials
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Contractors not facing criminal charges stemming from scandal
"They must act within the bounds of law and must be held accountable for their participation in the atrocities at Abu Ghraib and the other facilities in @placeholder.