Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-16-2004

Abstract

In these consolidated appeals, we are confronted with the issue of whether a foreign arbitration award can be confirmed and enforced against a sovereign nation where the arbitration agreement was signed by an organ of that nation's central government and where that organ — and not the nation itself — participated in the underlying arbitration proceedings. Specifically, plaintiff-appellant Compagnie Noga D'Importation et D'Exportation S.A. ("Noga") sought to confirm and enforce a Swedish arbitration award against defendant-appellee Russian Federation. The 678*678 Russian Federation opposed confirmation principally on the ground that it was a party to neither the arbitration agreement nor the Swedish arbitration proceedings. Instead, it argued that the proper party to these proceedings should be the Government of Russia (the "Government"), a political organ of the Russian central government. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Pauley, J.), accepted the Russian Federation's argument and denied Noga's motion to confirm. For the reasons set forth below, we conclude that, for the purposes of these proceedings, the Russian Federation and the Government are the same party, and accordingly, we vacate the judgment of the District Court. Furthermore, we remand for further proceedings with respect to, among other things, (i) whether Noga's assignments of its arbitration proceeds to certain of its creditors deprived it of standing to seek confirmation of the arbitral award; and (ii) whether the creditors to whom Noga assigned the arbitration proceeds must be joined as necessary and indispensable parties under Fed.R.Civ.P. 19.

Comments

361 F.3d 676 (2004)

COMPAGNIE NOGA D'IMPORTATION ET D'EXPORTATION S.A., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, Defendant-Appellee.

Docket Nos. 02-9237(L), 02-9272(CON).

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

Argued: June 12, 2003.

Decided: March 16, 2004.

New York Law School location: File #3177, Box #147

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