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Vipula D. Valambhia, et al. v. United Republic of Tanzania, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 19-7040 · judgment July 10, 2020


Certiorari denied · April 19, 2021
Pre-decision estimate: 8% cert probability (95% interval 5%–12%)

Before the decision, about 1.8× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for a D.C. Circuit decision below, a circuit split argued in the petition, and a dissent in the court below (flagged in the petition).

Questions presented

  1. Whether clause 3 of the commercial activities exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), 28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(2), provides for jurisdiction in a suit to recognize foreign commercial judgments causing direct effects in the United States including payments to U.S. citizens in U.S. dollars using a U.S. bank account.

  2. Whether clause 2 of the commercial activities exception to the FSIA provides for jurisdiction in a suit to recognize foreign judgments based upon the foreign state’s payments in the United States in connection with its commercial activities elsewhere.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Meredith Bishop Parenti
Parenti Law PLLC

For respondent
Lawrence H. Martin
Foley Hoag LLP

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Apr 19 2021
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Mar 24 2021
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/16/2021.
  3. Mar 19 2021
    Reply of petitioners Vipula Valambhia, et al. filed.
  4. Mar 05 2021
    Brief of respondents United Republic of Tanzania, et al. in opposition filed.
  5. Jan 25 2021
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 5, 2021)