News & Events

On July 27, 2011, following a two-and-one-half week trial in Palm Beach Florida Circuit Court, an eight-member jury awarded a $28.8 million verdict to Simpson Thacher client Mohammad Al-Saleh, a member of the Jordanian Royal Family.  The final judgment should exceed $40 million once the Court determines prejudgment interest.

The case involves a partnership formed in 2004 between the plaintiff, Mr. Al-Saleh, and a Florida businessman, defendant Harry Sargeant and Mr. Sargeant’s partner, defendant Mustafa Abu Naba’a.  The goal of the partnership was to bid for and win U.S. Defense Department contracts to supply jet fuel to U.S. troops in Western Iraq through the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  The Simpson Thacher team argued, and the jury found, that in early 2005 the defendants launched a scheme to defraud the plaintiff out of his share of partnership profits by, among other things, bidding on subsequent defense contracts through similarly sounding named companies that they and they alone controlled.  The jury found for Simpson client Al-Saleh on all six counts, three under Florida law and three under Jordanian law. 

Barry Ostrager presented the case to the jury as lead trial counsel, and was assisted by Los Angeles litigation partner Mike Kibler, Los Angeles litigation associate Jonathan Weiss, and New York litigation associates Rachel Weiss and Greg Szewczyk.

Barry R. Ostrager has been recognized by The AmLaw Litigation Daily July 29, 2011 edition as this week’s “Litigator of the Week".