By David Thomas
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Nov 13 (Reuters) – The West African country of Sierra Leone has reached a settlement in principle with U.S. law firm Jenner & Block to resolve their fight over $8 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees.
U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey in Washington, D.C., disclosed the settlement in a brief order on Thursday, but gave no details. Attorneys for Sierra Leone and a spokesperson for Jenner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chicago-based Jenner sued Sierra Leone in 2022 to recover fees the firm argued it was owed for defending the country in a dispute with iron ore contractor Gerald International Ltd over an export ban. Gerald International had sought more than $1.8 billion in damages in the case, which eventually settled.
Jenner said its work “turned out to be far more complex and voluminous than either party initially contemplated.”
Sierra Leone paid Jenner $3.6 million in legal fees between 2019 and late 2021, the firm alleged, leaving a balance of $8.1 million.
Sierra Leone contested the lawsuit, arguing that Jenner had not shown it was due any more than the $3.6 million it was already paid. A federal judge in January rejected Sierra Leone’s arguments that there was no valid contract between it and the firm and that the country was immune as a foreign sovereign.
Reporting by David Thomas
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