US Judge Allows $8M Unpaid Legal Fees Lawsuit Against Sierra Leone to Proceed
"By accepting the terms of the Engagement Letter, Sierra Leone impliedly waived its immunity," U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan wrote in a memorandum opinion allowing Jenner & Block's breach-of-contract lawsuit to proceed against the West African nation in D.C. federal court.
January 24, 2025 at 03:42 PM
2 minute read
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan has ruled that the government of Sierra Leone has no immunity from a Jenner & Block lawsuit alleging the West African nation failed to pay $8 million in outstanding attorney-client legal fees.
Chutkan denied Thursday a defense motion that Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman filed on behalf of Sierra Leone seeking dismissal of Jenner’s Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act complaint in D.C. federal court.
“Jenner & Block contends that Sierra Leone explicitly waived its sovereign immunity pursuant to the Choice of Law and Forum provision of the Engagement Letter,” Chutkan wrote in her memorandum opinion, allowing the lawsuit to move forward. “By accepting the terms of the Engagement Letter, Sierra Leone impliedly waived its immunity under § 1605(a)(1) of the FSIA.”
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