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Pursuing good results for good clients for good reasons
Simon V. Hungary
In 2018, Mr. Gaston argued and won an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit which revived the claims of Jewish Hungarian Holocaust Survivors against Hungary and the Hungarian State Railroad for their role in World War II deportations. Mr. Gaston is court-appointed interim co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in Simon.
Victims of Terrorism
In 2018, Mr. Gaston’s office won judgments of over $104 million for victims of the Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, Akins v. Iran, 332 F. Supp. 3d 1 (D.D.C. 2018), and over $190 million in punitive and compensatory damages for the family and Estate of Yonadav Hirshfeld for his killing in 2008 in Jerusalem in a terrorist attack. Hirshfeld v. Iran, C. A. No. 15-1082 (D.D.C. Aug. 30, 2018).
Appellate Litigation
Appeals are often resolved by a panel of judges who hear only a few minutes of oral argument by each side. Clarity in presentation and argument is important. The ability to respond cogently to the specific questions and concerns of the judges is even more important. Mr. Gaston has argued and won important cases in the United States Courts of Appeal for the First, Fifth, and DC Circuits.
Sovereign Immunity
In United States federal courts, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) is the only way to bring an action against a foreign state or its political subdivisions and instrumentalities. Mr. Gaston has considerable experience bringing such actions based on the few exceptions to immunity enumerated in the FSIA.
