Firm News

On March 26, 2024, after more than three years of litigation, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island entered an order dismissing a lawsuit brought by the new owner of the historic naval architectural firm Sparkman & Stephens (“S&S”) against Wiggin client Mystic Seaport Museum. The lawsuit, which centered on S&S’s 1989 donation of thousands of historically significant yacht-design drawings to the Museum, sought to rescind the donation for purported contract and copyright violations as part of an effort to monetize the donated drawings for the benefit of S&S’s new owner. Sparkman & Stephens Holdings, LLC v. Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., Case No. 1:21-cv-00029 (D.R.I.).

Previously, on August 17, 2023, the court had granted the museum summary judgment on the heart of S&S’s claims, including its claim that the donation, which had been given in 1989, should be “rescinded” and the drawings returned to S&S. Following the court’s ruling on summary judgment, and with the prospect of having to pay the museum’s fees under the Copyright Act’s fee-shifting provision, S&S agreed to withdraw its claims and issue a public statement of regret for having brought the lawsuit in the first place.

This victory allows the museum to retain the important collection of thousands of historic, hand-drawn boat-design drawings, which were characterized by one witness as the maritime equivalent of “the actual sheets of paper on which Beethoven wrote his music.” The litigation also raised fundamental issues affecting all museums, including the importance of honoring donor intent – an ethical principle that generally requires museums to follow the intentions of those who donate items to museum collections – and preserving public access to cultural resources.

The Wiggin and Dana team received a runner-up spot in Am Law Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” column for their work on the case, and their winning summary judgment brief earned a separate profile from Am Law Litigation Daily.

Mystic Seaport Museum was represented by Partners Joseph M. Casino, Nathan E. Denning, and Francis J. Duffin, along with Associates Sean W. Vallancourt, Evan Bianchi, and Hannah J. Blonshteyn.