New Legislation Aids Claims by Victims of Nazi Expropriations
Congress has passed legislation making it easier for plaintiffs to recover Nazi-looted art and other expropriated property. If the president signs the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (“Hear”) Act of 2025 into law, defendants will have fewer procedural protections from such claims, including a more limited immunity defense for foreign sovereigns. The legislation illustrates how Congress…
Continue ReadingHappy Birthday to TLB!
On March 28, 2022, Transnational Litigation Blog went live. Our very first post, titled Why Transnational Litigation?, listed the many reasons why we thought the world needed a blog devoted to the topic of transnational litigation. While it is unlikely that this post will ever achieve a status akin to the very first sketch on…
Continue ReadingCan Parties Waive the Service Provisions of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act?
The answer is yes, sometimes. Failure to Raise the Defense To begin with the easiest situation, a defendant that fails to raise the defense of improper service of process, as required under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), will waive the defense as provided by FRCP 12(b)(5) and (h). The strict timing requirements apply…
Continue ReadingThrowback Thursday: The Helms-Burton Act’s 30th Anniversary
Thirty years ago today, on March 12, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, better known by the names of its principal sponsors as the Helms-Burton Act (“the Act”). The Act was designed to sanction Fidel Castro’s government and to encourage a transition to a democratically…
Continue ReadingEnforcement of Arbitral Awards against Russia for Expropriation of Property in Crimea
The D.C. Circuit recently cleared the way for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards against Russia for the expropriation of electricity and gas infrastructure in Crimea. Russia argued in the case, Stabil v. Russian Federation, that there was no jurisdiction because the arbitration exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) did not apply and…
Continue ReadingCert Grant in Climate Case
The Supreme Court has added a climate case to its docket. In Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, local governments sued fossil fuel companies in Colorado state court to recover for damages they sustained as a result of climate change. The complaint includes claims for public and private nuisance, civil conspiracy, unjust…
Continue ReadingProduct Use Restrictions as a Bar to Personal Jurisdiction
Exploding lithium battery cases against Samsung SDI Company, a South Korean defendant, have raised interesting personal jurisdiction issues. Litigants have not always done a good job of advancing the strongest factual and legal arguments, as a recent decision from the Fifth Circuit, Ethridge v. Samsung, makes clear. The cases, including B.D. by & through Myers…
Continue ReadingA Narrow Interpretation of the FSIA’s Expropriation Exception
Introduction Three generations of the Herzog family have sought to recover some $100 million in artwork stolen by Hungarian government officials and Nazi collaborators during and following World War II. The looted works included pieces by the renowned artists El Greco, Renoir, and Monet. To the family’s disappointment, the Court of Appeals for the D.C….
Continue ReadingHappy New Year!
TLB will be on break until January 6, 2026. We wish you all the best in the new year!
Continue ReadingNo Injunction Against Florida Alien Ownership Law
After briefly enjoining the enforcement of Florida’s SB 264, the Eleventh Circuit has reversed course in Shen v. Simpson. The court of appeals held that most of the plaintiffs lack Article III standing and that those with standing are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claims. It thus affirmed the district court’s denial…
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