On October 4, Skadden won two matters for Christie’s Inc. in connection with litigation brought by billionaire William I. Koch.
- The firm secured the unanimous affirmance of a complete dismissal of fraud and conspiracy claims filed by Koch in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in connection with his purchase of allegedly counterfeit wine that purportedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson. The Second Circuit agreed with the lower court’s decision (also handled by Skadden) that Koch’s claims were time-barred.
- In a separate matter, Skadden also obtained an order in New York State Supreme Court, New York County, quashing an out-of-state subpoena served by Koch in connection with his pending litigation against discredited wine collector Rudy Kurniawan. The court labeled the subpoena an impermissible attempt to continue the dismissed federal action and a “treasure hunt” for evidence against Christie's.