News
Winston Beats Back Hacking Claims of Disgraced Republican National Committee Finance Chair Against Moroccan Diplomat
News
Winston Beats Back Hacking Claims of Disgraced Republican National Committee Finance Chair Against Moroccan Diplomat
January 7, 2019
On behalf of veteran UN diplomat Jamal Benomar, a team of Winston & Strawn attorneys secured dismissal of all claims filed by former Deputy Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee Elliot Broidy and his company, Broidy Capital Management LLC, in the Southern District of New York. The case has drawn the attention of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News and has garnered widespread international news coverage as well.
Mr. Broidy alleged that Mr. Benomar conspired with others in a State-sponsored hacking scheme against Mr. Broidy on behalf of Qatar. Mr. Broidy accused Winston’s client of acting as the “mastermind” of a plot to disseminate the stolen material to various media outlets in February 2018.
Winston moved to dismiss arguing that Mr. Benomar was immune from suit because he is currently a Moroccan diplomat posted to Morocco’s Mission to the United Nations, and, alternatively, because the complaint itself alleges that he was acting as an agent for a foreign State that is itself an immune sovereign. On December 21, the Court granted Mr. Benomar’s Motion to Dismiss agreeing with both of the arguments employed by the Winston team. The Court noted that even though the Plaintiffs took their “best shot,” they fell short and were prevented from filing an amended complaint or obtaining even jurisdictional discovery.
The Winston team consisted of Washington, D.C. Partner Abbe Lowell and Associates John Harding and Jennie Porter.