Dropping Maduro, Venable Retreats in Venezuela Fight in DC Circuit
Venable, representing Nicolas Maduro, and Arnold & Porter, representing Juan Guaido, disagreed over which leader represents Venezuela in U.S. courts and which law firm should therefore be counsel.
March 11, 2019 at 04:54 PM
2 minute read
The original version of this story was published on National Law Journal
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido
The Big Law dispute over who represents the rightful leader of Venezuela has seemingly come to an end.
In a Monday court filing, Venable attorneys representing the government of Nicolas Maduro submitted a withdrawal of appearance notice in a U.S. federal court case.
The case has acted as a proxy for the dispute over Venezuela's leadership between Venable and Arnold & Porter, who is representing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.
“The Clerk of the Court is hereby requested to withdraw the appearance of Moxila A. Upadhyaya, Michael B. MacWilliams, and Venable LLP as counsel to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” the firm wrote in court filings.
Last month, in court filings dated Feb. 12, Arnold & Porter argued that since Guaido had been recognized by the United States as Venezuela's leader, they should represent Venezuela in a case involving a demand by a Canadian gold producer for compensation tied to Venezuela's expropriation of its property.
On Feb. 22, Venable filed a response to the motion for a stay on behalf of Venezuela's attorney general of the republic, Reinaldo Muñoz Pedroza, objecting to the idea that ”the Republic has no right to participate in these proceedings by virtue of President Trump's official statement.”
On Feb. 28, Arnold & Porter attorneys Kent Yalowitz and E. Whitney Debevoise moved to strike the response to the motion of stay, disputing Venable's claim to rightful representation of Venezuela.
Arnold & Porter has long represented Venezuelan leaders, dating back to 1984, according to U.S. Department of Justice filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The firm jumped to Guaido after U.S. President Donald Trump and 50 countries recognized Guaido as the de facto leader of Venezuela.
Venable has represented a variety of interests in Hong Kong, Venezuela and Malaysia since at least 2009, according to FARA filings.
The two firms and their attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This content has been archived.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
A Look Back at 'Goldman Sachs': How Price Impact Is Changing Securities Class Actions
5 minute read
Litigation Leaders: Laura Hoey of Ropes & Gray on Bringing an Industry Focus to Litigation Matters
Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
Some Election Day Shout-Outs to Litigators Working Pro Bono on Voting Rights
Trending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 3Election 2024: Nationwide Judicial Races and Ballot Measures to Watch
- 4Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 5Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 6How Much Does the Frequency of Retirement Withdrawals Matter?
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
