Carlos Ghosn Claims 'Plot' by Nissan's Ex-Chief Legal Officer and Latham & Watkins
The ousted Nissan chairman, who escaped from Japanese authorities last week, held a press conference Tuesday in Lebanon in which he lashed out at several Nissan executives, including former chief legal officer Hari Nada, as well as the Latham & Watkins law firm.
January 08, 2020 at 03:52 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Corporate Counsel
Carlos Ghosn, the ousted chairman of Nissan Motor Co. who escaped from Japanese authorities last week, held a press conference Tuesday in Lebanon in which he lashed out at several Nissan executives, including former chief legal officer Hari Nada, as well as the Latham & Watkins law firm.
Nissan reassigned Nada last October after Nada became a whistleblower and key witness against Ghosn. The company said Nada would remain a senior vice president and become a senior adviser on legal action.
Nissan hired Latham & Watkins to conduct an internal investigation into Ghosn's alleged misconduct.
Declaring his innocence, Ghosn spoke of "collusion" and conflicts of interest among Japanese prosecutors, Latham & Watkins and Nissan executives, including Nada.
"The collusion between Nissan and prosecutor is everywhere," he said. "Witnesses who were in Nissan told me about all the visits that took place before my arrest."
Latham & Watkins did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Nada could not be reached.
In an earlier statement, Nissan called Ghosn's fleeing "extremely regrettable" and defended removing him from office for the financial misconduct "charged by Japan's legal authorities."
Ghosn claimed his arrest over a year ago on charges of financial misconduct was due to a "plot" against him. He said, "I have come to learn that my unimaginable ordeal over the last 14 months is the result of the handful of unscrupulous, vindictive individuals at Nissan."
He said some of his "Japanese friends thought the only way to get rid of the influence of Renault on Nissan is to get rid of me." Ghosn speculated that financial troubles at Nissan that started in early 2017 prompted them to act against him.
He accused Nissan of spending $200 million on an internal investigation to determine if he misappropriated $15 million from the company, while damaging the automaker's reputation and causing the stock price to drop.
In his hourlong press conference and two hours of media question and answers afterward, Ghosn explained that he fled Japan because he did not think he could get a fair trial. He offered to stand trial in one of three other countries where he holds citizenship: the U.S., Lebanon or France.
Since his escape, Ghosn reportedly has been in contact with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of the international law firms representing him. Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp declined comment Tuesday, citing attorney-client privilege.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'New Circumstances': Winston & Strawn Seek Expedited Relief in NASCAR Antitrust Lawsuit
3 minute readFederal Judge Rejects Teams' Challenge to NASCAR's 'Anticompetitive Terms' in Agreement
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Judge Denies Sean Combs Third Bail Bid, Citing Community Safety
- 2Republican FTC Commissioner: 'The Time for Rulemaking by the Biden-Harris FTC Is Over'
- 3NY Appellate Panel Cites Student's Disciplinary History While Sending Negligence Claim Against School District to Trial
- 4A Meta DIG and Its Nvidia Implications
- 5Deception or Coercion? California Supreme Court Grants Review in Jailhouse Confession Case
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250