Litigation Wrap: Fourth Quarter 2024

January 2025 – Read about the firm’s most exciting recent litigation and arbitration victories in our Litigation Wrap for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Russia Must Oppose Confirmation of Arbitration Award

Jim Boykin, John Townsend and Eleanor Erney won an important ruling that the Russian government is not immune from defending a suit seeking confirmation of an over $34 million arbitration award against the country in favor of a group of 11 Ukrainian companies.

Read more about our arbitration win.

Faced With Constitutional Challenge, SEC Drops Case

Bill Maguire and Amina Hassan challenged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the constitutionality of its case against their client Alan J. Markowitz, an engagement partner at audit firm Marcum. Hughes Hubbard crafted its challenge along the same lines as arguments in a similar case, SEC v. Jarkesy, at the time on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. When the court decided against the SEC in Jarkesy, the agency dismissed its case against Markowitz as well.

Settlement in Part of SKAT’s $2B Tax Fraud Scheme Multi-District Litigation

In November, Marc Weinstein, Bill Maguire, Neil Oxford, Dustin Smith, Greg Farrell and John McGoey achieved a settlement for the Danish tax agency SKAT with one of the defendants accused of helping clients claim fraudulent tax refunds in an overall $2.1 billion tax fraud scheme. The first trial of the multi-district litigation began on Jan. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Pro Bono Amicus Brief Supports Application of Torture Victims Protection Act

A team including Bill Stein submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on behalf of two former United States ambassadors, arguing for the affirmance of the district court’s application of the Torture Victims Protection Act in a case stemming from extrajudicial torture and killing ordered by Jean Morose Viliena, the former mayor of Les Irois, Haiti.

Posthumous Release of Jazz Records

Robb Patryk assisted Aida Brandes-Hargrove – the widow of influential American jazz musician and composer Roy Hargrove, whose primary instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn – on a pro bono basis with negotiating the release of three posthumous records.