International Law/Fraud

In Adler v. The Federal Republic of Nigeria, 219 F.3d 869 (9th Cir. May 17, 2000), we represented the Nigerian Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria. In this case, the plaintiff lost millions of dollars as a result of an Advanced Fee Fraud, commonly known as "419 Scams", perpetrated by imposters posing as Nigerian government officials. The plaintiff sued our clients for fraud seeking $130 million in compensatory damages. After a two-week trial in the United States District Court of the Southern District of California, in which a former United States Congressman, the Governor of the Central Bank and a director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation testified on behalf of our clients, the District Court rejected plaintiff's claim and dismissed the case. This decision was subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.