Stone & Magnanini Partners Robert Magnanini and David Stone represent Plaintiffs Worldwide Directories, S.A. de C.V. and Ideas Interactivas, S.A. de C.V. in a lawsuit in federal court in New York alleging that Mexican and United States entities of Yahoo and the law firm Baker & McKenzie conspired in a RICO scheme to influence and bribe a Judge in Mexico in an effort to overturn a $2.75 billion Mexican judgment against Yahoo. The Mexican civil lawsuit involved breach of contract relating to Plaintiffs’ internet listing services. At the lower court level, Plaintiffs allege that Judge Edgar Elias Azar, the President of the Federal District Superior Courts in Mexico, through the influence of Defendants, intimidated and pressured the trial court judge to enter a judgment against Plaintiffs, which he refused. He has since had criminal charges brought against him and is on the run for his life. Judge Azar then met with and pressured the Mexican Appellate Court to reduce the $2.75 billion Mexican judgment, further corrupting the Mexican judicial system resulting in Mexico’s Third Appellate Court’s reversal of the trial court award. The appellate decision is now on appeal to Mexico’s Supreme Court. The RICO case in the United States seeks to level the playing field in Mexico by preventing future interference from the American entities.
Bryan Koenig, Baker & McKenzie, Yahoo Must Face Bribery Suit, Court Told, LAW360, May 11, 2015