Arent Fox won a major victory October 28 when a federal court in Oklahoma dismissed a lawsuit against Rwandan President Paul Kagame brought by the widows of two assassinated African presidents, ruling that he had immunity in the United States. US District Judge Lee West ruled that as a head of state recognized by the US government, Kagame was immune from the wrongful death civil suit. The Obama administration had urged the court to recognize Kagame's immunity. Arent Fox partner Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper reacted to the court’s decision, saying, "We are pleased that we were able to win this matter on the long-standing doctrine of head of state immunity. We are confident, however, that had we been forced to address this matter on the merits we would have prevailed.” Ambassador Prosper served as a war crimes prosecutor for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1996 to 1998.

In addition to Ambassador Prosper, the other members of the defense team were Robert C. O’Brien, Michael Cryan, and Roy Z. Silva.

To read the Reuters article on Arent Fox’s win, please click here.