Firm defeats sanctions sought against foreign government

Judge Kimba Wood of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a motion for sanctions, including an adverse inference, brought by the international mining company, Thai Lao Lignite, against MoloLamken's client, the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. MoloLamken was retained to represent the government of Laos after the issue of sanctions arose. The case arises under the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the "New York Convention") and implicates the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. This is the first time that the Lao government has been a party to litigation in the United States. Related proceedings are occurring in the U.K., France, Malaysia, and Singapore.