Qatar Football Association not an “organ” of State of Qatar; federal case dismissed

Nicole Scheidemann v. Qatar Football Association and Qatar National Olympic Committee, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2852 (SDNY, 2008)

Attorney Robert A. Solomon and the litigation team at Solomon Blum Heymann successfully represented the Qatar Football Association (“QFA”) in the defense of a $67 million claim for commissions due and related damages incurred in connection with the arrangement of a “friendly” football (soccer) match between AC Milan and the Qatari National Team and a related sponsorship agreement. Charged with the defense of the matter for the QFA, SBH led a multi-faceted defense of the claims. The firm met with the client in Doha, Qatar and promptly reviewed records and interviewed QFA personnel. As a result of the swift actions of the firm in preserving testimony and discovering client documents, and clear and effective advocacy by the firm, the Court ultimately held, prior to allowing discovery by the plaintiff, that QFA was not an “organ” of the State of Qatar and therefore the claims lacked subject matter jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.