Bruce Marks speaks at RT’s Sanchez Effect in Moscow, Russia

American Perspectives on Global Affairs from Moscow In a recent episode of RT’s Sanchez Effect, host Rick Sanchez welcomed Bruce Marks, a former...

Bruce Marks speaks at ThoughtLeaders4’s Sovereign & States Litigation Summit USA

We’re pleased to announce that Bruce Marks, Founder and Managing Member of Marks & Sokolov, will be speaking at ThoughtLeaders4’s Sovereign...

Bruce Marks Speaks at the Pravo.RU Conference

On September 19, Bruce Marks, Founder and Managing Director of Marks & Sokolov, speaks at the session “Liability Under Control” during...

Sergei Sokolov speaks at the Forbes Federal Legal Forum 2025

On 18 September 2025, Forbes Russia will host the annual Federal Legal Forum in Moscow, a central event for the Russian legal community focusing on...

Marks & Sokolov Secures Another OFAC License for Release of Blocked Russian Client Funds

Marks & Sokolov is pleased to announce another success in our sanctions-related practice: we have obtained an OFAC license authorizing the...

​Updates on the recent Russian-related § 1782 applications – U.S. courts weigh discovery requests tied to sanctions, shareholder disputes, and asset battles.

Section 1782 of Title 28 of the U.S. Code allows parties to seek discovery in U.S. courts for use in foreign proceedings. In recent years, Russian...

1782 Discovery Blog: The Eleventh Circuit Vacates A §1782 Discovery Order Because Foreign Proceedings Will Not Proceed

by | Jun 3, 2020 | 1782 Blog

Under 28 U.S.C. §1782, the U.S. offers a very powerful litigation tool to parties to non-U.S. court proceedings allowing them to obtain bank records, documents and witness testimony from sources within the U.S., even if such evidence is unobtainable through the home forum’s own discovery procedures.  The types of evidence that can be obtained include International Wire Transaction Records (U.S. Dollar wires typically transit through the U.S.), emails, correspondence, phone and travel records, accounting, banking, credit card and corporate documents such as shareholder and board meeting records.

In Hornbeam Corp. v. Halliwell Assets, Inc., 790 F. App’x 199 (11th Cir. 2020), the Eleventh Circuit vacated the district court’s order granting §1782 discovery for use in a contemplated, but unfiled action in the British Virgin Islands. The Court’s rationale was that because the §1782 applicant, Hornbeam Corp., had changed its litigation strategy and now would not be instituting legal proceedings in the British Virgin Islands, the discovery was no longer “for use in a foreign proceeding,” a core statutory requirement under §1782. 

On remand, on March 17, 2020, Magistrate Judge Louis ordered Hornbeam to destroy all documents collected and retained as part of the §1782 proceeding by March 31, 2020; denied Hornbeam’s motion to extend the deadline for destruction of the documents collected; and denied Hornbeam’s motion to amend the protective order to use the collected discovery in domestic, Delaware Chancery Court proceedings.  The court noted that the parties had relied upon the agreed protective order and that Glock v. Glock, Inc., 797 F.3d 1002, 1009 (11th Cir. 2015) “does not stand for the proposition that the court should amend an agreed upon stipulated protective order to defeat the confidentiality and use limitation negotiated and relied upon by the parties.”  See In re Hornbeam Corp., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51208, *12 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 17, 2020).

Appellants Halliwel, Inc. and Panikos Symeou were represented by Marks & Sokolov, LLC.

Tom Sullivan - Marks & Sokolov Attorney

Thomas C. Sullivan is a senior attorney in the Philadelphia office of Marks & Sokolov LLC. Mr. Sullivan represents Western, Russian and Ukrainian clients in complex commercial disputes including civil RICO, securities fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Convention on the International Sale of Goods and ICC Arbitration matters.  He has litigated numerous Section 1782 discovery matters throughout the United States and written extensively on the topic.

United States:
Marks & Sokolov, LLC
1835 Market Street, 17th Fl.
Philadelphia, PA,19103
Phone: (215) 569-8901
Fax: +1 (215) 569-8912
Tsullivan@mslegal.com

Russia:
OOO Marks & Sokolov
21/5 Kuznetsky Most, Entrance 1, Suite 612
Moscow, 107996, Russia
Tel: +7 (495) 626-0606
Tel: +7 (495) 626-0606