Case Law Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG

Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG

Document Cited Authorities (73) Cited in (25) Related

920 F.Supp.2d 517

The REPUBLIC OF IRAQ, including as Parens Patriae on behalf of the Citizens of the Republic of Iraq, Plaintiff,

v.ABB AG, et al., Defendants.

No. 08 Civ. 5951(SHS).

United States District Court, S.D. New York.

Feb. 6, 2013.

OPINION TEXT STARTS HERE

Christian Patrick Siebott, Stanley D. Bernstein, Brian Lehman, Bernstein Liebhard, LLP, Mark Maney, Maney & Gonzalez–Felix PC, Roliff Holmes Purrington, Burford & Maney P.C., Houston, TX, for Plaintiff.

James Philip Gillespie, John R. Bolton, Mark Champoux, Robert B. Gilmore, Thomas David Yannucci, Brant Warren Bishop, Ragan Naresh, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Mark H. Lynch, O. Thomas Johnson, Jr., Covington & Burling, L.L.P., Robert Stephen Bennett, Ellen Swennes Kennedy, Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, Jennifer Lynn Spaziano, William John O'Brien, III, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Philip Eric Urofsky, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Michael Evan Horowitz, James K. Robinson, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, LLP, Robert P. Parker, Baker & McKenzie LLP, Richard D. Klingler, Sidley Austin LLP, Gregory L. Baker, Baker & Hostetler LLP, Robert A. Van Kirk, Katherine M. Turner, Philip A. Sechler, Williams & Connolly LLP, Michael R Miner, Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, Washington, DC, S. Alyssa Young, Leader & Berkon LLP, Aaron Hirsch Mendelsohn, Daniel Nathan Anziska, Elliot Cohen, Troutman Sanders LLP, Nancy Lynn Kestenbaum, Covington & Burling LLP, Robert H. Baron, Timothy Gray Cameron, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, H. Miriam Farber, Danforth Newcomb, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Thomas E. Lynch, Meir Feder, Phineas Edward Leahey, Chris J. Lopata, Jones Day, Jason Jurgens, Nathan Marshall Bull, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Joann Kahn, Mark Allen Robertson, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., David I. Zalman, Melissa Errine Byroade, Thomas Benjamin Kinzler, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP, Kenneth J. King, Pepper Hamilton, LLP, Dorothy Jane Spenner, Andrew Douglas Hart, Sidley Austin LLP, Mark S. Landman, Landman Corsi Ballain & Ford PC, John Patrick Doherty, Jennifer Susan Kozar, Karl Geercken, Alston & Bird, LLP, Peter Louis Altieri, David John Clark, Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., Brian Stryker Weinstein, Jason Bradley McCullough, Davis Polk & Wardwell L.L.P., John David Harkrider, Evan Saul Storm, Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Judith Ann Lockhart, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP, Clay J. Pierce, Marsha Jessica Indych, Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, David Harold Braff, Penny Shane, Steven Robert Peikin, Sullivan and Cromwell, LLP, Andrew Hunter Reynard, Allen & Overy, LLP, Walter P. Loughlin, K & L Gates LLP, Casey Devin Laffey, Reed Smith, John Federick Pritchard, Pillsbury, Winthrop, LLP, Ranah Leila Esmaili, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, Steve Orlikoff, Darrell Prescott, Lawrence Walker Newman, Baker & McKenzie LLP, New York, NY, Christopher S. Riley, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Indianapolis, IL, David Stephen Toy, David S. Toy, Esq., Francis I. Spagnoletti, Spagnoletti & Co., John L. Shoemaker, El Paso Corporation, Leland Curtis De La Garza, Timothy David Zeiger, Shabana N. Qaiser, Esq., Houston, TX, Philip Warren Crawford, Jennifer Marino Thibodaux, Gibbons P.C., Thomas R. Valen, Gibbons, Del Deo et al., Newark, NJ, Larry R. Schmadeka, Lee, Hong, Degerman, Kang & Schmadeka, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Robert Barnes Calihan, Calihan Law PLLC, Roch, NY, Pamela Kayatta Riewerts, Bowie & Jensen, LLC, Towson, MD, Brett A. Spain, Willcox & Savage P.C., Norfolk, VA, David M. Ryan, Fred A. Kelly, Jr., Nixon Peabody LLP, Boston, MA, John G. Harkins, Jr., Harkins Cunningham LLP, Gregory P. Miller, Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, Philadelphia, PA, James William Abbott Ladner, St. Jude Medical, Inc., St. Paul, MN, Amy K. Pohl, Michael H. Ginsberg Jones Day, Pittsburgh, PA, Carl A. Parker, The Parker Law Firm, Port Arthur, TX, Hector Canales, Tony Canales, Canales & Simonsen, Courpus Christi, TX, J.A. Canales, Canales & Simonson, P.C., Corpus Christi, TX, Casey L. Westover, Richard Wray, Reed Smith LLP, Gregory J. Wallance, Kaye Scholer LLP, Chicago, IL, for Defendants.

OPINION & ORDER

SIDNEY H. STEIN, District Judge.

+--------+
¦Contents¦
+--------¦
¦        ¦
+--------+

+-----------------------------------+
¦I. ¦Background                 ¦524¦
+-----------------------------------+

+-------------------------------------------------+
¦    ¦A.¦The Iraqi sanctions                 ¦524 ¦
+----+--+------------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦B.¦The Oil–for–Food Programme in Design¦525 ¦
+-------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------+
¦    ¦   ¦1.¦The UN escrow account              ¦526 ¦
+----+---+--+-----------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦   ¦2.¦Oil sales                          ¦526 ¦
+----+---+--+-----------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦   ¦3.¦Goods purchases                    ¦526 ¦
+----------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------+
¦    ¦C. ¦The Oil–for–Food Programme in practice¦526 ¦
+----------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------+
¦    ¦   ¦1.¦Oil sales                           ¦527 ¦
+----+---+--+------------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦   ¦2.¦Purchases from vendor-defendants    ¦528 ¦
+----+---+--+------------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦   ¦3.¦BNP maintained the UN Escrow Account¦529 ¦
+----+---+--+------------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦   ¦4.¦The Programme's end                 ¦529 ¦
+-----------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------+
¦   ¦D.¦This action                   ¦529 ¦
+------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------------------------------+
¦    ¦                                         ¦    ¦
+----+-----------------------------------------+----¦
¦II. ¦Legal Standard for Motion to Dismiss     ¦530 ¦
+----+-----------------------------------------+----¦
¦    ¦                                         ¦    ¦
+----+-----------------------------------------+----¦
¦III.¦Justiciability                           ¦530 ¦
+---------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------+
¦   ¦A.¦Article III standing          ¦530 ¦
+------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦      ¦    ¦1. ¦Iraq has standing to recover for an injury to its    ¦531   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦proprietary interests                                ¦      ¦
+------+----+---+-----------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦    ¦2. ¦Iraq has no standing to pursue its quasi-sovereign   ¦532   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦interests as parens patriae                          ¦      ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------+
¦   ¦B.¦Act of state doctrine         ¦533 ¦
+---+--+------------------------------+----¦
¦   ¦C.¦Political question doctrine   ¦534 ¦
+------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦      ¦                                                             ¦       ¦
+------+-------------------------------------------------------------+-------¦
¦IV.   ¦The Relationship Between the Current Government of Iraq and  ¦535    ¦
¦      ¦the Hussein Regime                                           ¦       ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦      ¦A.  ¦Sovereigns may be held to account for the wrongful       ¦536   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦governmental conduct of their governments                ¦      ¦
+------+----+---------------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦B.  ¦Governmental conduct is conduct taken under color of     ¦537   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦authority                                                ¦      ¦
+------+----+---------------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦C.  ¦The Complaint alleges that the Hussein Regime's Programme¦538   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦misconduct was governmental                              ¦      ¦
+------+----+---------------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦D.  ¦The nature of the Hussein Regime's conduct does not      ¦539   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦absolve Iraq of responsibility for that conduct          ¦      ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦The Complaint does not allege that the Hussein Regime¦      ¦
¦      ¦    ¦1. ¦committed acts of personal misconduct as distinct    ¦539   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦from governmental misconduct                         ¦      ¦
+------+----+---+-----------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦The legitimacy of the Hussein Regime does not        ¦      ¦
¦      ¦    ¦2. ¦determine Iraq's responsibility for the Regime's     ¦541   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦conduct                                              ¦      ¦
+------+----+---+-----------------------------------------------------+------¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦The legality of the Hussein Regime's acts does not   ¦      ¦
¦      ¦    ¦3. ¦determine Iraq's responsibility for the Regime's     ¦541   ¦
¦      ¦    ¦   ¦conduct                                              ¦      ¦
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
¦     ¦                                                  ¦     ¦
+-----+--------------------------------------------------+-----¦
¦V.   ¦Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act¦542  ¦
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
...

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5 cases
Document | U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit – 2015
European Cmty. v. RJR Nabisco, Inc.
"...RICO claim that arose out of “extortion in Kazakhstan by a Kazakh actor of Plaintiffs' Kazakhstan-based assets”); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (dismissing RICO claim that related to alleged mismanagement in Iraq of the United Nations Oil–for–Food program); Ce..."
Document | U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit – 2014
Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG
"...grounds, and pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim for a variety of reasons. In a thorough opinion reported at 920 F.Supp.2d 517, the district court rejected defendants' jurisdictional arguments; but it granted defendants' motions to dismiss the Republic's RICO claims on th..."
Document | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York – 2014
Honorable Otto J. Reich & Otto Reich Assocs., LLC v. Lopez
"...“[t]he RICO statutes do not apply extraterritorially.” Petroleos Mexicanos, 2013 WL 3936191, at *2 ; see also Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517, 543 (S.D.N.Y.2013). Similarly, the Second Circuit has rejected the argument that “Congress's adoption of some RICO predicate statutes ..."
Document | U.S. District Court — District of Connecticut – 2020
Conn. Fair Hous. Ctr. v. Corelogic Rental Prop. Solutions, LLC
"...decision making and shielding one another because no single entity is wholly responsible.Third, RPS cites Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG , 920 F. Supp. 2d 517 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), a case in which the court considered a RICO claim against a bank that had set up and serviced an escrow account, facts ..."
Document | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York – 2014
Tymoshenko ex rel. Situated v. Firtash
"...Industries, Inc., 631 F.3d 29 (2d Cir.2010), to bar any extraterritorial application of RICO. See, e.g., Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517, 543 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (Stein, J.); Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 871 F.Supp.2d 229, 239 & n. 33 (S.D.N.Y.2012) (Kaplan, J.). District courts did ..."

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2 books and journal articles
Document | Núm. 60-3, July 2023 – 2023
Foreign corrupt practices act
"...(f‌inding no implied right of action under the FCPA but noting it was not the only method of redress); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F. Supp. 2d 517, 551 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), aff’d , 768 F.3d 145 (2d Cir. 2014) (same); see also Gideon Mark, Private FCPA Enforcement , 49 AM. BUS. L.J. 419, 436..."
Document | Núm. 59-3, July 2022 – 2022
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
"...(f‌inding no implied right of action under the FCPA but noting it was not the only method of redress); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F. Supp. 2d 517, 551 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (same), aff’d , 768 F.3d 145 (2d Cir. 2014); see also Gideon Mark, Private FCPA Enforcement , 49 AM. BUS. L.J. 419, 436..."

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2 books and journal articles
Document | Núm. 60-3, July 2023 – 2023
Foreign corrupt practices act
"...(f‌inding no implied right of action under the FCPA but noting it was not the only method of redress); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F. Supp. 2d 517, 551 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), aff’d , 768 F.3d 145 (2d Cir. 2014) (same); see also Gideon Mark, Private FCPA Enforcement , 49 AM. BUS. L.J. 419, 436..."
Document | Núm. 59-3, July 2022 – 2022
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
"...(f‌inding no implied right of action under the FCPA but noting it was not the only method of redress); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F. Supp. 2d 517, 551 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (same), aff’d , 768 F.3d 145 (2d Cir. 2014); see also Gideon Mark, Private FCPA Enforcement , 49 AM. BUS. L.J. 419, 436..."

Try vLex and Vincent AI for free

Start a free trial

Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant

  • Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database

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5 cases
Document | U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit – 2015
European Cmty. v. RJR Nabisco, Inc.
"...RICO claim that arose out of “extortion in Kazakhstan by a Kazakh actor of Plaintiffs' Kazakhstan-based assets”); Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (dismissing RICO claim that related to alleged mismanagement in Iraq of the United Nations Oil–for–Food program); Ce..."
Document | U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit – 2014
Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG
"...grounds, and pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim for a variety of reasons. In a thorough opinion reported at 920 F.Supp.2d 517, the district court rejected defendants' jurisdictional arguments; but it granted defendants' motions to dismiss the Republic's RICO claims on th..."
Document | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York – 2014
Honorable Otto J. Reich & Otto Reich Assocs., LLC v. Lopez
"...“[t]he RICO statutes do not apply extraterritorially.” Petroleos Mexicanos, 2013 WL 3936191, at *2 ; see also Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517, 543 (S.D.N.Y.2013). Similarly, the Second Circuit has rejected the argument that “Congress's adoption of some RICO predicate statutes ..."
Document | U.S. District Court — District of Connecticut – 2020
Conn. Fair Hous. Ctr. v. Corelogic Rental Prop. Solutions, LLC
"...decision making and shielding one another because no single entity is wholly responsible.Third, RPS cites Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG , 920 F. Supp. 2d 517 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), a case in which the court considered a RICO claim against a bank that had set up and serviced an escrow account, facts ..."
Document | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York – 2014
Tymoshenko ex rel. Situated v. Firtash
"...Industries, Inc., 631 F.3d 29 (2d Cir.2010), to bar any extraterritorial application of RICO. See, e.g., Republic of Iraq v. ABB AG, 920 F.Supp.2d 517, 543 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (Stein, J.); Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 871 F.Supp.2d 229, 239 & n. 33 (S.D.N.Y.2012) (Kaplan, J.). District courts did ..."

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