Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
07/21/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/21/2026 09:27
Willkie Secures D.C. Circuit Affirmance to End Defamation Claims Against Human Rights Advocate Sir William Browder
Willkie Secures D.C. Circuit Affirmance to End Defamation Claims Against Human Rights Advocate Sir William Browder
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July 21, 2026
Willkie secured the affirmance of the complete dismissal of defamation claims brought in 2018 by Russian lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin against international human rights advocate Sir William Browder, conclusively ending the case after eight years.
Akhmetshin's original 2018 complaint, filed in D.C. federal court, accused Browder of having defamed him by alleging connections between Akhmetshin and the Russian intelligence community. Willkie obtained the lower court's dismissal on personal jurisdiction grounds in 2019 and, then, after several rounds of appeals revived the lawsuit based on a new interpretation of D.C. personal jurisdiction law, Willkie won a second complete dismissal in December 2024. Despite eight years of litigation, Akhmetshin's retaliatory lawsuit never made it past the motion-to-dismiss stage. Read more about the case here.
On July 17, the D.C. Circuit upheld the lower court's complete dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, bringing the baseless defamation suit to an end. The ruling is a significant victory for fellow advocates for justice and the rule of law, like Browder, the leading global advocate for the Magnitsky Act, who face harassing litigation for criticizing abusive and authoritarian governments around the world.
In affirming the dismissal, the D.C. Circuit rejected Akhmetshin's argument that D.C. local courts must apply the more permissive Fifth Amendment standard for personal jurisdiction described by a recent Supreme Court decision in Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, 606 U.S. 1 (2025). Instead, the D.C. Circuit held that D.C. local courts must continue to apply the more restrictive International Shoe minimum-contacts test. The decision also includes important holdings clarifying the limits on the Calder v. Jones "effects" theory of personal jurisdiction, and on the "relatedness" test of Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, 592 U.S. 351 (2021). These rulings are significant wins for defendants, and especially defamation defendants, sued in the District of Columbia.
The Willkie team is led by partners Michael Gottlieb, who argued before the D.C. Circuit in 2020 and the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2021, and Aaron Nathan, who argued the 2026 appeal, and includes associates Stephanie Miner and Noah Mussmon.
Akhmetshin's original 2018 complaint, filed in D.C. federal court, accused Browder of having defamed him by alleging connections between Akhmetshin and the Russian intelligence community. Willkie obtained the lower court's dismissal on personal jurisdiction grounds in 2019 and, then, after several rounds of appeals revived the lawsuit based on a new interpretation of D.C. personal jurisdiction law, Willkie won a second complete dismissal in December 2024. Despite eight years of litigation, Akhmetshin's retaliatory lawsuit never made it past the motion-to-dismiss stage. Read more about the case here.
On July 17, the D.C. Circuit upheld the lower court's complete dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, bringing the baseless defamation suit to an end. The ruling is a significant victory for fellow advocates for justice and the rule of law, like Browder, the leading global advocate for the Magnitsky Act, who face harassing litigation for criticizing abusive and authoritarian governments around the world.
In affirming the dismissal, the D.C. Circuit rejected Akhmetshin's argument that D.C. local courts must apply the more permissive Fifth Amendment standard for personal jurisdiction described by a recent Supreme Court decision in Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, 606 U.S. 1 (2025). Instead, the D.C. Circuit held that D.C. local courts must continue to apply the more restrictive International Shoe minimum-contacts test. The decision also includes important holdings clarifying the limits on the Calder v. Jones "effects" theory of personal jurisdiction, and on the "relatedness" test of Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, 592 U.S. 351 (2021). These rulings are significant wins for defendants, and especially defamation defendants, sued in the District of Columbia.
The Willkie team is led by partners Michael Gottlieb, who argued before the D.C. Circuit in 2020 and the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2021, and Aaron Nathan, who argued the 2026 appeal, and includes associates Stephanie Miner and Noah Mussmon.
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP published this content on July 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 21, 2026 at 15:27 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]