| In
Almaty Case Jury Finds Felix
Sater Liable and Orders $20
Million Punitive Damages
By Matthew
Russell Lee
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
June 26 –The City of Almaty in
Kazakhstan has been active in
the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of New
York, with at least two case
before SDNY Magistrate Judge
Katharine H. Parker.
Inner City Press
has covered the litigation
with Felix Sater, with another
proceeding coming up on August
23, 2022.
On August
16 in a related case, cross
defendant Mukhtar Ablyazov was
being described as a scoff law
with some sort of asylum in
France. He was, in fact, on
the line; he described himself
at the number one political
opposition leader in
Kazakhstan. His adversary
chided him for using the
proceeding to make political
speeches.
On May 9 the
(re-) assigned District Judge
John G. Koeltl adopted the
report by Magistrate Judge
Parker denying Sater's request
to amend and add claims
against Kazakhstan and
Arcanum. Full order on Patreon
here.
On June 10,
Sater's lawyer wrote in that
"Defendant Felix Sater
respectfully moves in limine
to preclude Plaintiffs from
introducing evidence of
Sater’s criminal conviction,
entered 15 years ago, and
relating to criminal conduct
from the 1990s." Full letter
on Patreon here.
Later on June 10,
amid jury selection,
plaintiffs insisted they want
the racketeering in - while
noting an earlier Sater
conviction for assault. They
oppose Sater being able to
present information about
helping the US government,
Buzzfeed say he tracked Osama
Bin Laden.
On June 11, after
the jury was selected and the
plaintiffs' opening, with
Inner City Press present,
defense counsel told the eight
jurors - six plus two
alternates - that if they find
that the claims were released,
or that they are time barred,
Sater wins. He mocked Mr.
Schwartz for showing a photo
of Sater "with side glance" -
at defense table Sater scoffed
or laughed, or perhaps winced.
Defense counsel
emphasized that Sater tried to
help the plaintiffs get their
money back.
On June 12,
jurors were shown video of Mr.
Schwartz questioning Khrapunov
about Petelin paying so that
his name would not appear in
litigation.
On June 13, an
expert was on the stand to
authenticate Khrapunov's
signature on a letter.
Meanwhile, Judge Koeltl denied
the motion for judgment on the
pleadings by MeM Energy
Partners.
On June 14, MeM's
lawyer cross examine BTA
Bank's consultant-not-lawyer,
thread
On June 20, the
defense case began with Sater
former lawyer Robert Wolf on
the stand, under subpoena.
Wolf says he
socialized with Sater, family
vacations together.
Sater's lawyer: I
show you the Confidential
Assistance Agreement [of
2015]. Who drafted it? Wolf:
One of my corporate partners
at Moses & Singer.
Sater's lawyer:
You were aware Mr Sater did
business with the Khraponovs,
about US real estate?
Wolf: Yes
Meanwhile Sater
submitted to the court a 2013
La Stampa Moninari interview,
that "the deportations
happened because the dictator
of Kazakhstan wanted two
hostages against his major
political opponent."
On June 21,
Mochkin then Sater again
testified, Inner City Press
was there, thread.
On June 24,
Sater's lawyer Wolf was back
on the stand, from the thread
On June 25, Felix
Sater was back on the stand,
from the thread.
On June 26, Inner
City Press was there for the
verdict, thread:
Clerk: Have
plaintiffs proven conversion
against Sater? Foreman: Yes.
Clerk: Damages? Foreman:
504,213.33. Clerk: Punitives?
Foreman: $20 million.
Clerk: Bayrock
liable? Foreman: Yes. $2
million. Clerk: Global Habitat
Solutions liable? Foreman:
yes. $600,000. Inner City
Press @innercitypress · 4m
Clerk: MeM liable? Foreman:
Yes. $300,000
more on X for
Subscribers here,
Substack here
The witnesses,
and some tweets from the
streets, are on.
The case is City
of Almaty, Kazakhstan et al v.
Sater et al., 19-cv-2645
(Koeltl
/ Parker).
***
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Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
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