Case of the Day: Hilt Construction v. Permanent Mission of Chad
Ted Folkman
Posted on October 16, 2017
The case of the day is Hilt Construction & Management Corp. v. Permanent Mission of Chad (S.D.N.Y. 2017). Hilt claimed the Mission of Chad to the UN owed it more than $1 million for construction work. Hilt first sued the Mission and the Ambassador. The court dismissed the claim against the Ambassador on the grounds of diplomatic immunity, and it dismissed the claim against the Mission without prejudice on the grounds that Hilt had failed to serve it with process. Hilt then brought a new action against the Mission served process on the as required by the FSIA. The Mission defaulted, and Hilt obtained a default judgment. Hilt, a writ of execution in hand, garnished the Mission’s bank account, apparently without giving the Mission…