Barnet v. Ministry Sports of the Hellenic Republic

391 F. Supp. 3d 291
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedJune 21, 2019
Docket18 Civ. 4963 (KPF)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 391 F. Supp. 3d 291 (Barnet v. Ministry Sports of the Hellenic Republic) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnet v. Ministry Sports of the Hellenic Republic, 391 F. Supp. 3d 291 (S.D. Ill. 2019).

Opinion

KATHERINE POLK FAILLA, District Judge:

This action revolves around the disputed ownership of a centuries-old, 14-centimeter-tall, bronze figure of a horse (the "Bronze Horse"). Plaintiffs Howard J. Barnet, Peter L. Barnet, and Jane L. Barnet (collectively, the "Barnet Plaintiffs"), along with Sotheby's, Inc. ("Sotheby's," and together with the Barnet Plaintiffs, "Plaintiffs"), bring this action against Defendant Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Hellenic Republic (the "Ministry" or "Greece"), seeking a declaratory judgment that the Barnet Plaintiffs are the lawful owners of the Bronze Horse and, further, that Sotheby's may sell the figure on their behalf. Defendant, for its part, contends that the Bronze Horse was illegally removed from Greece and should be repatriated.

Rather than resolve these issues through the litigation, Defendant asserts immunity from litigation, and moves to dismiss Plaintiffs' Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1). Specifically, Defendant argues that (i) the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claims pursuant to the Foreign *296Sovereign Immunities Act (the "FSIA"), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1602 - 11 ; and (ii) Plaintiff Sotheby's lacks Article III standing because it does not sufficiently allege injury-in-fact. For the reasons set forth herein, Defendant's motion is denied.

BACKGROUND1

A. Factual Background

On November 16, 1973, Howard and Saretta Barnet purchased the Bronze Horse. (Compl. ¶ 21). The figure, which dates back to the 8th Century B.C.E., is an example of a common style of Greek statutes depicting horses from the Geometric period. (Id. at ¶¶ 16, 33). The Barnets added the Bronze Horse to their private art collection, displaying it at their New York home for more than 20 years. (Id. at ¶ 24). In 1992, Howard Barnet passed away and the ownership of the figure vested entirely in Saretta Barnet. (Id. at ¶ 26). In 2012, ownership of the Bronze Horse was transferred to the 2012 Saretta Barnet Revocable Trust (the "Trust"), of which the Barnet Plaintiffs are the sole trustees. (Id. at ¶ 28).

In July 2017, after Saretta Barnet's death, the Barnet Plaintiffs consigned the Bronze Horse to Sotheby's for sale, along with numerous other items from the Barnet collection. (Compl. ¶¶ 29-30). Sotheby's planned to sell the Bronze Horse at an auction scheduled for May 14, 2018, in New York, New York. (Id. at ¶ 31). As is customary prior to any auction, on April 25, 2018, Sotheby's published an auction catalog online that included the Bronze Horse. (Id. at ¶¶ 32-33). The auction catalog described the provenance, or ownership history, of the Bronze Horse, which potential buyers use to confirm the authenticity of a work of art. (Id. at ¶ 34).

As described in its provenance, on May 6, 1967, the Bronze Horse was sold at a public auction in Switzerland by Münzen und Medaillen, a reputable European auction house, to an undisclosed buyer. (Compl. ¶ 23). At a later date, the Bronze Horse was acquired by Robin Symes from the 1967 auction purchaser. (Id. at ¶ 36).2 Howard and Saretta Barnet acquired the Bronze Horse from Mr. Symes on November 3, 1973. (Id. at ¶ 34).

On May 11, 2018, the Friday prior to the Monday auction, Defendant emailed a letter to Sotheby's, demanding that the auction house immediately withdraw the Bronze Horse from the auction and repatriate the figure to Greece (the "Demand Letter"). (Compl. ¶¶ 37, 39). The Ministry asserted that the Bronze Horse is cultural property that had been stolen from Greece, in violation of Greek patrimony *297laws. (Id. at ¶ 38). In support of Greece's claim of ownership, the Demand Letter referred to the figure's prior connection to Robin Symes, which had been publically disclosed in the Sotheby's auction catalog. (Id. at ¶ 43). In closing, the letter noted that Greece "reserves the right to take the necessary legal action in the competent courts in order to repatriate the coin [sic ]." (Demand Letter 2).

The Demand Letter, irrespective of its merit, placed a cloud over the Bronze Horse's marketability, impairing Sotheby's ability to sell it on behalf of the Barnet family. (Compl. ¶¶ 51-52). Accordingly, Sotheby's immediately withdrew the Bronze Horse from the auction. (Id. at ¶ 52). Several days later, Sotheby's responded to the Demand Letter, rejecting Greece's claim of ownership, and inviting the Ministry of Culture to provide any other evidence to support its initial assertions. (Id. at ¶¶ 53-54). At present, the Bronze Horse is located in New York, New York. (Id. at ¶ 56).

B. Procedural Background

Plaintiffs filed the Complaint in this action on June 5, 2018. (Dkt. #1). On September 12, 2018, Defendant requested leave to file a motion to dismiss. (Dkt. #15). On October 2, 2018, the Court held a pre-motion conference and set a briefing schedule for Defendant's motion to dismiss. (Dkt. #18). Defendant moved to dismiss the Complaint on November 5, 2018. (Dkt. #20). Plaintiffs filed an opposition brief on December 7, 2018. (Dkt. #22-23). This motion became fully briefed when Defendant filed its reply brief on December 21, 2018. (Dkt. #26-28).

DISCUSSION

A. Motions to Dismiss Under Rule 12(b)(1)

Rule 12(b)(1) permits a party to move to dismiss a complaint for "lack of subject-matter jurisdiction." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1). "A case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Rule 12(b)(1) when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate it." Lyons v. Litton Loan Servicing LP , 158 F. Supp. 3d 211, 218 (S.D.N.Y. 2016) (quoting Makarova v. United States, 201 F.3d 110, 113 (2d Cir. 2000) ).

The Second Circuit has drawn a distinction between two types of Rule 12(b)(1) motions: (i) facial motions and (ii) fact-based motions. See Carter v. HealthPort Technologies, LLC , 822 F.3d 47, 56-57 (2d Cir. 2016) ; see also Katz v. Donna Karan Co., L.L.C. , 872 F.3d 114, 119 (2d Cir. 2017).

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391 F. Supp. 3d 291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnet-v-ministry-sports-of-the-hellenic-republic-ilsd-2019.