Chabad Gets Default Judgment Against Russia In Suit Over Book Collections

Talk of the Planet reported yesterday that Judge Royce C. Lamberth, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, has entered a default judgment against the Russian Federation in the lawsuit against it by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to recover two historic collections of Jewish religious books and manuscripts. (See prior posting.) After U.S. courts rejected Russia's jurisdictional challenges, Russia filed a statement with the court stating that it would no longer continue in the litigation and its counsel, Squire Sanders & Dempsey, withdrew. In issuing the default judgment, Judge Lamberth said: "The defendants have willfully refused to continue in this litigation."