Firm News

The Connecticut Superior Court, Complex Litigation Docket at Stamford awarded our client, a foreign ambassador, over $582 million earlier this week. It is believed to be the largest award of damages ever in Connecticut history. The Wiggin and Dana team, led by partner Jonathan Freiman, secured the award on summary judgment after years of litigation. The court previously found that the defendant, who had engaged in a multi-year con against the ambassador, was liable for fraudulent misrepresentation, civil theft, and unjust enrichment. After granting summary judgment on liability, the court requested additional evidence on damages, which Wiggin and Dana obtained through requests for testimony taken by a Swiss judge in Switzerland under the Hague Evidence Convention. After presenting hundreds of pages of authenticated documentation and briefing, the court found the voluminous evidence authenticated, confirmed and credible. This victory builds on a previous victory in the case, where the judge ordered that a trust established by the defendant—which owned two luxury homes in Greenwich—give all its assets to the ambassador. In addition to these summary judgment victories, Wiggin and Dana obtained a default judgment for the ambassador against a shell company controlled by the defendant that owned several luxury automobiles. This matter involved related proceedings in Switzerland and Morocco, as well as the effect of a Malian court decree obtained through fraud. Mr. Freiman represents foreign officials (including foreign presidents) and foreign nations in U.S. litigation, and is frequently involved in cross-border litigation.

This case was highlighted in a Law360 article titled, “Wiggin And Dana Wins Big In Fraud Case Like A ‘Movie Script’” which detailed the multi-year con against the ambassador by his ex-wife.

To read the article, click here.

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