International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution: Practice Highlights

We have represented a broad range of clients in international disputes, including:

American Airlines in a U.S. proceeding relating to antitrust claims by travel agents in Central America.

Betterware PLC in Article 82 and 30-36 European Commission complaints against Tupperware Corporation as well as related U.S. and German antitrust proceedings. In a separate case, we defended Betterware against trademark infringement claims in 12 countries.

A Caymanian bank in U.S. proceedings relating to claims against a large Scandinavian estate.

Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc. and Carnaud Metal Box Technology plc in antitrust litigation in which we obtained approval - following Phase Two investigation, statement of objections, oral hearing, and negotiation of undertakings - of Crown's US$5.2 billion acquisition of Carnaud. It was the largest acquisition of a European company by a U.S. company to be reviewed under the European Union Merger Regulation.

Elliott Associates LP, a New York-based hedge fund, in litigation in New York, Miami, London, Brussels, Frankfort, Winnipeg, Toronto, The Hague, and Madrid. Our client collected US$58 million in a judgment against The Republic of Peru and Banco Nacional de la Peru, which had defaulted on sovereign debt.

A foreign estate administered in London in ancillary estate proceedings in Surrogates Court (Manhattan) and in recovering substantial estate assets from a major New York money center bank.

Graphite Electrodes Limited as defendant in an antitrust class action, individual actions, and multinational governmental investigations in the European Union and United States involving alleged price-fixing and market allocation in the graphite electrodes industry.

ICFI Corporate Securities Fund plc, a closed-end investment fund organized in the Isle of Guernsey and administered in Ireland under Irish law. We litigated against Russia- and Cyprus-based currency hedge contract counter-parties in London, Guernsey, and Dublin, seeking specific performance and damages arising out of contracts governed by Irish law, but with issues arising under Russian, Cyprus, and Guernsey law, as well.

A major Japanese contractor in two phases of a major railway modernization and signaling projects in Indonesia, in accordance with the FIDIC form of contract, which itself derives from the U.K. form of engineering contract.

KPMG-U.K. in defending against claims in the United States arising from its audit of a Lloyd's underwriting agency, which had been acquired by a California savings bank.

A major French group in an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration concerning an infrastructure project in the Asia-Pacific region.

Price Waterhouse-Australia in parallel proceedings in Australia and New York concerning alleged securities laws violations relating to Linter Corporation.

Price Waterhouse-U.K. in various litigation stemming from the demise of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), including RICO class actions, bankruptcy proceedings, and investigations by the Federal Reserve, United States Attorneys for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Senate, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, as well as ancillary litigation by the trustees of First American Bank and litigation proceeding in the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and the Cayman Islands.

RCA Global Communications in a dispute with the Ministry of Defense of Iran before the Iran/United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.

United Technologies Corporation in its defense against Article 85 and 86 European Commission complaints by Thomassen International B.V. concerning technology licensing. (The case involved parallel proceedings in Dutch national courts as well as ICC arbitration in Paris.)

Vistech Corporation, a Connecticut-based investment banking firm, in an ICC-administered arbitration in New York involving a fee dispute in connection with the purchase of shares in an oil and gas pipeline company, which had been owned by the Bolivian government before its privatization.