Latham Moves to Withdraw as Russian Bank VTB's Counsel in New York District Court Case

International law firm Latham & Watkins moved to withdraw as counsel for Russian bank VTB Bank in a case over attacks that brought down a commercial airplane over Ukraine in 2014, seeing as the firm "is in the process of ending its engagement with VTB on multiple matters." Concurrently filing a letter to Judge Gabriel Gorenstein at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District for New York, Latham's Christopher Harris said that he wanted a stay of discovery until new counsel can be found for VTB (Schansman, et al. v. Sberbank of Russia PJSC, S.D.N.Y. #19-02985).

On that point, the plaintiffs, led by Thomas Schansman, a parent of one the passengers killed in the downed plane, have not shown why discovery cannot wait until new counsel is found, Harris said. In his declaration in support of the motion for leave to withdraw as counsel, Harris said that "Latham and VTB are in the process of ending their engagement with respect to multiple matters, one of which is Latham’s representation of VTB in this case. Latham has informed VTB that its representation in this case will end. VTB has communicated to Latham that it assents to Latham’s withdrawal in this matter."