Transnational Litigation

Our lawyers have significant experience and expertise litigating transnational disputes in trial and appellate courts in the United States. They have represented individuals and corporations in U.S. litigation based on conduct occurring overseas, as well as sovereign states involved in court proceedings in the United States. Our lawyers have a deep knowledge of the various legal and factual issues that may arise in such litigation, including issues of subject matter and personal jurisdiction as well as the reach of U.S. laws, issues related to the enforcement of foreign judgment and arbitral awards, and discovery proceedings in the United States and overseas (under U.S. law and international treaties). In addition, several HSG attorneys have civil law and common law degrees, and our attorneys are fluent in or have a working knowledge of at least a dozen languages, including French, Spanish, Russian, German, Italian, Hebrew, and Hindi.

Representative Matters

• Minority partners and management of a Puerto Rican auto-loan servicing business in a contentious partnership dispute with a prominent hedge fund. HSG took over the case after an adverse partial summary judgment ruling, initiated new litigation in Puerto Rico federal court, argued and won several critical motions in the pending New York action, and fought what became a sprawling case across three fora. The case ultimately settled favorably.
• Aenergy S.A. as lead counsel in disputes over massive energy contracts with Angola, which it claims arose from the interference of the U.S. industrial giant General Electric.
• The Republic of Uzbekistan in connection with two U.S. Department of Justice civil forfeiture proceedings and several criminal prosecutions and investigations initiated by non-U.S. prosecutorial authorities relating to approximately $1 billion located in jurisdictions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Çukurova Holding, a Turkish industrial and commercial conglomerate, in post-judgment and appellate proceedings relating to the enforcement of a $932 million arbitral award against Çukurova. In its first decision applying a new U.S. Supreme Court precedent on personal jurisdiction, the Second Circuit reversed the trial court’s confirmation of the award and vacated an injunction against our client.
• XPO Logistics, Inc. in litigation against Elliott Management under 28 U.S.C. §1782, in which both parties sought U.S.-style discovery in aid of litigation pending in the Paris Commercial Court in France over a $3.53 billion acquisition by XPO of Norbert Dentressangle, S.A.
• An amicusin the Second Circuit in support of a historic trial judgment in favor of Chevron in a RICO and fraud action, arising out of litigation against Chevron in Ecuador, in the Southern District of New York.
• Individual plaintiffs who seek the return of more than $100 million worth of artworks looted during World War II.
• A Hong Kong company in successfully recognizing a Hong Kong judgment in New York state court.
• Credit Lyonnais, MGM/United Artists, and the government of France in two major U.S. grand jury investigations, a Federal Reserve Board investigation, criminal suits in France and Italy, and approximately 20 civil suits relating to the bank’s financing of and investments in the insurance industry (Executive Life) and the entertainment industry (MGM/United Artists) which led to the bank's insolvency and restructuring.
• Croatia and several state-owned enterprises in litigation against Serbian-controlled entities challenging the restructuring of Yugoslavia’s national debt arising out of the country’s breakup.
• Saudi Refining, Inc., a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, in securing dismissal of claims against it in national class-action litigation challenging a joint venture among SRI, Texaco, and Shell under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
• Camulos Capital, a U.S. hedge fund, in a dispute with a European subsidiary of Lehman Brothers over a $100 million repo agreement, and a German gun manufacturer concerning a €100 million PIK loan.
• Landoil, a Philippines-based energy and construction conglomerate, in connection with political risk insurance claims and related insurance broker malpractice claims relating to coverage for construction projects in Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, which claims were resolved via arbitration in the London Court of International Arbitration, litigation in the Southern District of New York, and a protracted mediation after extensive discovery in Europe and Asia.