Stunning Victory for Diaz Reus Attorneys: New York District Court Dismisses $400 Million Expropriation Claim Against Venezuelan Government
NEW YORK, Jan 30, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Diaz Reus & Targ LLP scored a stunning victory in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this week on behalf of the government of Venezuela, obtaining complete and final dismissal with prejudice of a suit brought by Smith Rocke Ltd., a purported creditor in the Lehman Bros. bankruptcy.
The suit was predicated on Smith Rocke’s allegation that Venezuelan government agencies had expropriated the company’s entitlement to payments from the Lehman Bros. bankruptcy estate worth more than $400 million. In a comprehensive opinion handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Lorna Schofield, the Court soundly rejected all of the Plaintiff’s expropriation and conversion claims, and dismissed the suit with prejudice.
Smith Rocke, a BVI company, is controlled by its Venezuelan shareholders who were previously associated with a Venezuelan bank, Banco Canarias, and another affiliated Venezuelan entity, Credican. Both Banco Canarias and Credican were placed into receivership several years ago by Venezuelan banking regulators. Shortly thereafter, Smith Rocke facilitated an unauthorized “assignment” of the right to receive payments from the defunct entities to Smith Rocke, in an effort to gain control of assets valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Regulators are seeking to recover these assets in order to satisfy depositors and creditors of the failed financial institution.
“Once the Venezuelan government learned of the diversion of assets by the Smith Rocke shareholders, they notified the Lehman bankruptcy trustee so that no payments from the Lehman estate would be made to them. That action resulted in the filing of this suit by Smith Rocke against our client,” said Michael Diaz, Jr. “The problem for Smith Rocke, of course, is that these shareholders never had a legitimate legal claim to these assets, and now the court has told them so.”
In addition to Diaz, the Diaz Reus legal team on this case also included partners Chad Purdie, Gary Davidson, and Brant Hadaway.
The case is Smith Rocke, Ltd. v. Republica Vliviariana De Venezuela, No. 12 Cv. 7316 (LGS)., 2014 BL 20749 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 27, 2014).
About Diaz Reus
Diaz, Reus & Targ, LLP (Diaz Reus) is a full-service international law firm offering comprehensive legal services to U.S.-based and international clients around the world. The firm’s global reach extends from its Miami, Fla., headquarters to its 12 international offices, strategically located in dynamic business centers throughout Latin America, the Middle East, and in Asia and Europe. For more information, visit www.diazreus.com .
SOURCE: Diaz, Reus & Targ, LLP
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