United States District Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed Greece’s claim to end a lawsuit brought against the country by Sotheby’s and the owners of an ancient Greek bronze horse.
Sotheby’s and the owners of the statue petitioned for the statue to be put on the auction block, however Greece had argued that the legal request should be dismissed.
Judge Failla rejected Greece’s claim that she lacked jurisdiction to pursue the case under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, stting that the case triggered an exception for “commercial activity”. Hence, the way is paved for Greece to be sued.
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Lawyer Leila Amineddoleh said that her side was “obviously disappointed” with the decision and did not rule out taking further action and appealing the verdict.
The Financial Times reports that the action taken in June 2018 is Sotheby’s first against a government.
