Mealey's International Arbitration : Mealey's : Legal News & Analysis

Mealey's International Arbitration

July 16, 2025
D.C. Circuit Reverses $50M Award Against Zimbabwe For Lack Of Jurisdiction

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 15 reversed a district court’s finding of jurisdiction over an action to enforce a Zambian court’s judgment confirming an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitral award worth roughly $50 million against the Republic of Zimbabwe and affiliates in favor of two Mauritian mining investors, finding that a lower court improperly applied a jurisdictional statute that applies to arbitration awards, not money judgments.
July 16, 2025
Judge Confirms $7.6M Award Against Niger For Airport Investment Dispute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge granted a Luxembourg investor’s motion for default judgment and confirmed a decade-old International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award worth more than $7.6 million against the Republic of Niger for harming its investment in operating a Nigerien airport.
July 16, 2025
Slovak Republic Seeks To Enforce 2.3M Euro Attorney Fee Award Against U.S. Driller

DALLAS — The Slovak Republic filed a petition in Texas federal court to enforce an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award in which a tribunal rejected a U.S. oil drilling company’s $133 million claim for impairing its investment and instead ordered the driller to pay the Republic’s attorney fees and arbitration costs.
July 15, 2025
Judge Confirms Annulment Decision Worth $438,000 Against Armenia

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge on July 14 granted a California resident’s petition to enforce an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ad hoc committee’s decision awarding him more than $438,000 in arbitration costs and attorney fees and dismissed the Republic of Armenia’s counterpetition to confirm the partly annulled award against the plaintiff’s company.
July 15, 2025
Judge Tosses ISP Suit Seeking To Enforce Foreign Arbitration Award Exceeding $16M

NEW YORK — A New York federal judge on July 14 dismissed with prejudice a suit brought by a now-bankrupt Indonesian-based internet service provider (ISP) seeking to enforce an Indonesian arbitrator’s award of the equivalent of $16,948,937.28 for contracts to provide internet service in Indonesia, finding that the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction and that amendment would be futile.
July 03, 2025
2nd Circuit Finds No Jurisdiction Over Bid To Vacate Swiss Awards

NEW YORK — The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 2 affirmed the denial of a petition to vacate two awards issued in a dispute over medical imaging technology, writing that subject matter jurisdiction does not exist under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the New York Convention) for petitions seeking to vacate a “foreign-made award.”
June 25, 2025
D.C. Circuit Rejects Corruption Defense To $198M Awards In Toll Road Dispute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel on June 24 affirmed the confirmation of two arbitral awards against the city of Lima, Peru, and the entry of judgment worth more than $198 million, rejecting Lima’s arguments that the district court failed to consider evidence of corruption by a contractor.
June 24, 2025
ICSID Tribunal Denies Quick Dismissal In Angolan Turbine Row

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on June 23 published a tribunal’s decision denying the Republic of Angola’s objection to a Portuguese investor’s claims against it as manifestly untimely, finding that it must treat the investor’s claims as timely based on his allegations and request for arbitration.
June 23, 2025
Company Says Petition To Enter Judgment Strays Outside Of Arbitral Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Swiss pharmaceutical company on June 20 filed a brief in District of Columbia federal court arguing that a California company’s petition for entry of judgment confirming an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal’s award against the Swiss company worth more than $17.8 million asks the court to improperly enter judgment on the petitioner’s “interpretation” of merits findings made by the tribunal.
June 23, 2025
Tribunal Won’t Bifurcate Spanish Solar Farm Investor’s Mexican Dispute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on June 20 published a tribunal’s decision rejecting the United Mexican States’ request to bifurcate arbitration claims brought against it by three Spanish solar power investors for alleged breaches of the Spain-Mexico bilateral investment treaty (BIT), finding that Mexico’s objections are too intertwined with the merits and must be heard simultaneously.
June 10, 2025
COMMENTARY: International Arbitration Experts Discuss The Efficiency Of Artificial Intelligence Tools In International Arbitration

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June 19, 2025
Judge Clarifies Schedule In Petition To Enforce $17.8M Arbitral Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge in a June 18 docket entry explained that the court will treat a California pharmaceutical company’s petition to enforce an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal’s award in its favor worth more than $17.8 million as a motion to enforce under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and directed a Swiss company to respond by the end of the month.
June 19, 2025
ICSID Tribunal Bifurcates Investor’s $653M Claim Against Ukraine

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) published a tribunal’s decision granting Ukraine’s request to bifurcate claims brought against it by a Luxembourgian investor who seeks $653 million in damages for the alleged expropriation of his investment, writing that it will first decide issues of jurisdiction and liability.
June 19, 2025
Au Pair Company Can’t Compel Arbitration Of Labor Claims,1st Circuit Says

BOSTON — A First District U.S. Court of Appeals panel on June 18 affirmed the denial of an au pair placement company’s motion to compel arbitration of claims brought against it by several foreign nationals for violating federal and state employment laws, finding that the company cannot enforce an arbitration agreement that it didn’t sign and which was not clearly for its benefit.
June 18, 2025
Judge Won’t Vacate Arbitration Of Hurricane Dispute Pending Appeals

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana federal judge on June 17 denied a motion to lift a stay on litigation brought by a city against its foreign and domestic insurers in a dispute over Hurricane Ida claims and vacate a prior order compelling arbitration despite a recent ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court that such arbitrations are barred by state law, writing that there is an intradistrict “split on this issue” and citing two pending appeals.
June 18, 2025
4th Circuit Affirms $8M Award In Iraq War Contract Dispute

RICHMOND, Va. — A Fourth Circuit U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on June 17 affirmed a Virginia federal court’s confirmation of an arbitral award against a Kuwaiti company worth more than $8 million for a dispute with Kellogg Brown & Root International Inc. (KBR) over logistics contracts performed during the Iraq war.
June 18, 2025
Japanese Wind Investor Seeks To Confirm 106M Euro Award Against Spain

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Japanese investor filed a petition in District of Columbia federal court seeking to confirm an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award in its favor worth more than 106 million euros in compensation plus more than $4.3 million in attorney fees and arbitration costs against the Kingdom of Spain for retroactively clawing back certain subsidies.
June 17, 2025
Qatari Bank Seeks To Enforce $1B Award Against South Sudan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Qatari bank that is partly state owned filed a petition in District of Columbia federal court seeking to confirm an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award worth more than $1 billion against the Republic of South Sudan and its national bank for defaulting on payment obligations owed to the bank for various credit agreements entered into shortly after South Sudan obtained its independence in 2011.
June 17, 2025
Environmental Experts Can Weigh In On German Coal Phase-Out Claim, Tribunal Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) published a tribunal’s order granting fossil fuel emissions experts’ application to make a written submission to the tribunal, which is hearing a Swiss investor’s claims against the Federal Republic of Germany for violating the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) by planning to phase out coal plants.
June 16, 2025
Judge Quashes Service Of Sanctions For Noncompliance With Awards

NEW YORK — A New York federal judge on June 13 granted a motion to quash service of a motion for sanctions against a majority shareholder of a Latin American telecommunications company against whom contempt sanctions worth approximately $30,000 a day were ordered in April, finding that the shareholder was not properly served and must be re-served.
June 13, 2025
Dubai Entity’s $15M Award Against Afghani Entity Confirmed By Judge

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge on June 12 granted a Dubai entity’s motion for default judgment and confirmed a Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) arbitral award worth more than $15.2 million against an agency of the government of Afghanistan for a dispute over an aviation security contract.
June 13, 2025
Spanish Company May Attach Gabonese Assets To Enforce $18M Award, Judge Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge granted a Spanish company’s motion for an order authorizing it to attach assets of the Gabonese Republic to satisfy a judgment worth nearly $18 million reflecting an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) award against Gabon for a stadium renovation contract dispute.
June 12, 2025
Russia’s Bid To Dismiss Or Stay Petition To Confirm $5B Award Denied

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge on June 11 denied the Russian Federation’s motions to dismiss or stay a petition brought by a Luxembourg entity to enforce an arbitral award worth more than $5 billion representing the loss of a loan to its parent company, which underwent an allegedly politically motivated bankruptcy after which creditors like the petitioner were told their claims for repayment had expired.
June 12, 2025
Iraqi Government Entities Held In Contempt After Ignoring $120M Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge ordered the Republic of Iraq and two government entities to pay sanctions of $15,000 per day until they comply with asset discovery or satisfy the court’s judgment entered against them after confirming an arbitral award worth more than $120 million in favor of a Cypriot construction company.