23 May 2016
Quinn Emanuel Will Defend RCF Once Again
A statement has been published on Quinn Emanuel's website.
As we informed our readers previously, the international law firm Quinn Emanuel will represent the interests of the Russian Chess Federation (the – “RCF”) in connection with publication of the false information about the RCF President, FIDE Vice President Andrey Filatov.
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The Russian Chess Federation (“RCF”) has retained Quinn Emanuel to defend its President, Russian businessman Andrey Filatov, against false statements made about him in the Western media.
On May 10, 2016, The Telegraph published an article falsely accusing Mr. Filatov of being a director and shareholder of an offshore company that was included in the “Panama Papers”. The company that was included in the Panama Papers is linked to a different Andrey Filatov entirely, not Mr. Filatov of the RCF. Though The Telegraph has since deleted the inaccurate statements about Mr. Filatov, he continues to suffer serious reputational harm, as this information has been republished by many other media outlets around the globe and is still widely accessible.
Quinn Emanuel previously represented RCF in another matter involving statements made by the Turkish President Recep Erdogan, which some news outlets incorrectly reported as suggesting that Mr. Filatov was engaged in oil-related business with terrorist group, ISIS. Quinn Emanuel quickly and successfully obtained the retraction of these false statements for Mr. Filatov.
In 2014, Quinn Emanuel also represented RCF and the Russian women's chess team in the Tromso 2014 Chess Olympiad, when the organizers of the Tromso 2014 Chess Olympiad refused to register the Russian women’s national team, along with eight other teams, on the basis of incorrect interpretation of the Olympic Regulations. The case also impacted Russia-Ukraine relations, as part of the dispute involved the transfer of Gross Master Ekaterina Lagno from Ukraine to Russia. Quinn Emanuel quickly engaged with the organizers and the Norwegian Chess Federation, prepared for full-scale arbitration proceedings in the CAS, and finally launched litigation in Norwegian courts. In the end, the organizers admitted all teams and formally apologized to the client. The Russian women’s team won the Olympiad, and the client decided not to pursue the matter further. The RCF sent Quinn Emanuel an official thank you letter.
