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They said North Korea tortured and killed their son. Now they’re seeking over $1 billion: lawsuit

Click to play video: 'Trump commends Kim Jong Un for releasing American detainees, honours Otto Warmbier'
Trump commends Kim Jong Un for releasing American detainees, honours Otto Warmbier
May 10: U.S. President Donald Trump thanked North Korea's Kim Jong Un for releasing three Americans from captivity, saying he believes Kim wants to reach an agreement on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula – May 10, 2018

A wrongful death lawsuit filed this year by the parents of U.S. college student Otto Warmbier against North Korea is now seeking more than $1 billion from the government the Warmbiers say tortured and killed their son.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier, of suburban Cincinnati, sued in April in federal court in Washington. North Korean authorities arrested their son in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

WATCH: Parents of Otto Warmbier push North Korea to answer for actions at UN

Click to play video: 'Parents of Otto Warmbier push North Korea to answer for actions at UN'
Parents of Otto Warmbier push North Korea to answer for actions at UN

The 22-year-old died in 2017, days after he was repatriated to the U.S. with severe brain damage.

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The Cincinnati Enquirer reports a motion filed in October in the lawsuit seeks $1.05 billion in punitive damages and about $46 million for the family’s suffering.

READ MORE: North Korea says it won’t give up its nuclear weapons unless the U.S. removes its threat first

North Korea has repeatedly denied the accusations that it tortured Warmbier.

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