A series of lower courts previously ruled that Spain's Thyssen-Bornemisza museum can retain a painting which was once taken from a Jewish woman by the Nazis.

However, this week saw the Supreme Court overturn those decisions by agreeing to hear arguments brought by the woman's descendants.

Woman surrendered painting so she and her husband could escape

At issue is "Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain," which was created by impressionist painter Camille Pissarro in 1897.

According to the Associated Press, the painting features an image of Paris during a rainstorm and is believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars.

The US high court revives a case around Nazi-looted impressionist painting in Spanish museum https://t.co/qCF7ieNKOI

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 11, 2025

It was at one point owned by Lilly Cassirer Neubauer, a Jewish woman who was forced to surrender the piece of artwork in exchange for exit visas for herself and her husband.

The painting was subsequently taken to the United States before being purchased by Swiss resident Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1976, who sold the item to Spain two decades later.

Case hinges on California law passed last year

David Cassirer is Neubauer's great-grandson, and he has attempted to regain ownership of the painting, citing a 2024 California law that increases the ability of Holocaust survivors and their families seeking to pursue stolen art.

As the Los Angeles Times pointed out, the legislation was passed after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Neubauer's great-grandson.

"For survivors of the Holocaust and their families, the fight to take back ownership of art and other personal items stolen by the Nazis continues to traumatize those who have already gone through the unimaginable," Gov. Gavin Newsom was quoted as saying.

"It is both a moral and legal imperative that these valuable and sentimental pieces be returned to their rightful owners, and I am proud to strengthen California’s laws to help secure justice for families," he added.

Great-grandson praises Supreme Court

Cassirer issued a statement on Monday in which he praised America's highest judicial body "for insisting on applying principles of right and wrong."

Meanwhile, Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation attorney Thaddeus Stauber stated that the organization is working to confirm ownership of the painting "as it has for the past 20 years."

Stauber went on to stress that the organization will examine what impact the California law will have on its claim to the painting's "repeatedly affirmed rightful ownership."