What Happened For 23 years, U.S. administrations waived Title III of the Helms-Burton Act (formally the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996) over fears of complicating U.S.-European relations. On April 17, the Trump administration announced it will not renew the waivers before they expire on May 2. The expiration of the waivers will allow Americans to file suit in U.S. federal courts over property expropriated by the Cuban communist government. This opens the way for some 6,000 lawsuits worth an estimated $1.9 billion (not including decades in interest), including major claims by some Fortune 500 firms including ExxonMobil. U.S. Strategic Intent Puts Third Parties in Legal Jeopardy The Cuban government has been a firm ally of left-wing Venezuelan governments for nearly two decades.