Dechert had to delay filing its defence due to Neil Gerrard falling ill with the coronavirus, among other things.Dechert Asks Court for Filing Extension Because Neil Gerrard Had Coronavirus
Dechert, Gerrard and others are asking for an extension to file their defence against a claim brought by a Jordanian lawyer.
July 16, 2020 at 10:25 AM
3 minute read
Dechert has asked London's High Court for an extension to file its defense against a claim brought by Jordanian lawyer Karam Al Sadeq because the firm's white collar head Neil Gerrard caught coronavirus in April.
Dechert, Gerrard, white collar partner Caroline Black and former partner David Hughes are asking for a further extension to file their defence against a claim brought by Jordanian lawyer Karam Al Sadeq.
Al Sadeq has accused Gerrard of coercing him into "agreeing to give false evidence" during an investigation.
Dechert's defence was originally due to be filed on April 30, according to Al Sadeq's skeleton argument. In April, the defendants proposed an extension of time until 30 June and this was agreed to by Al Sadeq's lawyers and approved by a judge in a consent order in May, according to court documents.
But the defendants have not yet filed their defence, and their legal advisers are now asking the High Court on their behalf for an extension to July 31 to do so.
According to two people close to the matter, Gerrard caught the coronavirus in March and only recovered about six weeks later, which has stalled the process of putting together a defence by June 30 as previously agreed between both parties.
An addendum to judgment in the RAKIA v Azima case filed on June 30, reads: "Gerrard contracted COVID-19 as did the rest of his household. He first developed symptoms and started to become seriously unwell on approximately March 19, 2020. It has taken him some time subsequently to recover from the illness."
The defendants' skeleton argument also states that an extension to file their defence is needed because the preparation of the defence was "time-consuming" as there are about 87,000 documents under review.
The skeleton argument further reads: "The Covid 19 lockdown inevitably slowed the review of the hard copy materials, since various logistical issues have had to be resolved. The task of reviewing and synthesising the content of these documents is immense."
It also argues that the case is "extremely complex" as it deals with English, United Arab Emirates and international human rights law, and it raises issues around legal privilege.
|Read More:
Dechert Partner Accused of Orchestrating a 'Secret Prison' in the Middle East
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