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Case of the Day: DRC, Inc. v. Republic of Honduras
The case of the day, DRC, Inc. v. Republic of Honduras (D.D.C. 2011), is an action to enforce an arbitral award made in Honduras. It is also the first case of the day arising under the Panama Convention. (Why does the Panama Convention, rather than the New York Convention, apply? The FAA has an express……
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Case of the Day: Johannes Baumgartner Wirtschafts-und-Vermögensberatung GmbH v. Salzman
The case of the day rejoices in the name Johannes Baumgartner Wirtschafts-und-Vermögensberatung GmbH v. Salzman (E.D.N.Y. 2011). The plaintiffs sued Ambiente GmbH, a German firm, and Peter Schmidt, Muhsin Karakurt, and Mehmed Kocabas, all of whom resided in Germany. The claim was for violations of RICO, securities fraud, conversion–you name it. The case of the……
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Case of the Day: United Company Rusal v. Trafigura AG
The case of the day United Company Rusal, plc v. Trafigura AG (D. Conn. 2011), raises a fascinating question: do the federal courts have subject-matter jurisdiction of applications for judicial assistance under 28 U.S.C. § 1782? One might wonder how this question could even arise. The statute provides: The district court of the district in which……
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Case of the Day: Belmont Partners v. Mina Mar
The case of the day is Belmont Partners, LLC v. Mina Mar Group, Inc. (W.D. Va. 2010). It’s a perfect example of what should not happen in arbitration–the parties agreed to arbitrate, then settled, then one reneged on the settlement, then they sued each other in two countries. The parties were both in the business……
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Case of the Day: Starski v. Kirzhnev
I chose the case of the day, Starski v. Kirzhnev (D. Mass. 2011), because it involves an area of international judicial cooperation we haven’t yet considered, namely, proof of the authenticity of a foreign official document so that it can be admitted in evidence in US proceedings. Vietnam owed a debt to Russia. Starski had……