A recent Law 360 story by Diamond Naga Siu, “Quinn Emanuel Looks to Collect $15M in Unpaid Fees,” reports that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP urged a D.C. federal judge to confirm and enforce a $15 million arbitration award for unpaid legal fees after the Indian textile manufacturer it previously represented ignored documents to confirm the amount for more than a year. CLC Industries Limited — formerly known as Spentex Industries Limited — used the law firm when it initiated a failed cotton investment claim against Uzbekistan in 2013 for bankrupting three cotton processing plants it invested in.
After the case was tossed, CLC Industries allegedly did not pay Quinn Emanuel its legal fees, and the firm initiated arbitration in the United States with the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc., or JAMS, against the textile company to receive payment. JAMS awarded the fees in 2018, according to Quinn Emanuel's affidavit, ruling that the law firm could collect them as described under a letter of engagement the law firm and company entered ahead of the arbitration against Uzbekistan.
"More than 500 days elapsed since Respondents were served with the Petition," Quinn Emanuel wrote in its filing, referring to how long the firm's petition to confirm the award amount has been ignored. "Petitioner respectfully requests the entry of a default against Respondents." "Petitioner served the Petition and accompanying exhibits on Respondents by Federal Express on July 3, 2019, pursuant to Respondents' consent to service of process 'by regular mail or courier' in the Engagement Agreement," the firm added.
Quinn Emanuel said that CLC Industries received and signed for the documents at its New Delhi, India, office within the week the petition was sent.
CLC Industries opened a case in the Delhi High Court in India, asking Judge Jayant Nath to dismiss certain fees in its letter of engagement with Quinn Emanuel. CLC and the law firm had signed the original agreement in 2013 but amended it in 2015 after they realized the case would be complex and expensive to fight, according to Judge Nath's opinion.
He ruled in favor of the law firm in May, saying that the textile company was responsible for paying Quinn Emanuel's contingency fees, which aren't permitted in India. The judge ruled that since the letter of engagement was governed by U.S. laws, the fee arrangement was allowed. "They have chosen to abstain themselves from the arbitration proceedings and the award has already been passed," Judge Nath wrote, referring to the award of legal fees. "They are free to take appropriate steps as per law against the award."