Christie's Wins Dismissal in Counterfeit Wine Case

On March 18, Skadden won a complete dismissal for Christie’s Inc. of claims filed by billionaire William I. Koch in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for violations of RICO and Section 349 of the New York General Business Law, civil conspiracy and aiding and abetting fraud. In a widely publicized litigation, Koch alleged that he relied on representations made by Christie’s in his purchase more than two decades ago of counterfeit vintage wines that purportedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson. Judge Barbara Jones held that the statute of limitations on Koch's claims had run out because he admitted facts in another action that revealed, among other things, that he had been aware questions surrounding the wine’s authenticity since the 1980s and was on inquiry notice of his alleged injury no later than October 2000.