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Case of the Day: Helmerich & Payne v. Venezuela
The case of the day is Helmerich & Payne International Drilling v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (D.C. Cir. 2015). Helmerich & Payne, an Oklahoma oil company, operated in Venezuela through subsidiaries incorporated under Venezuelan law. Beginning in 2007, its subsidiary made contracts with the Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, for the use of the subsidiary’s…
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Case of the Day: Derr v. Swarek
The case of the day is Derr v. Swarek (5th Cir. 2014). This was the appeal of the case of the day from Sept. 12, 2013. The basic facts: Thomas L. Swarek and Thomas A. Swarek sued Herman Derr in the Issqquena County, Mississippi chancery court seeking specific performance of a purchase and sale agreement…
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Case of the Day: Vita v. New England Baptist
The case of the day is Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital (Mass. 2024). It’s not really a Letters Blogatory case, but it’s super interesting anyway. It involves the Massachusetts Wiretap Act, a law that forbids the secret recording of communications. I have served as arbitrator on cases that have raised claims under the Act…