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2017 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

12. De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary

verfasst von : Bruce L. Hay

Erschienen in: Nazi-Looted Art and the Law

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

In de Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, heirs of Erzsébet, András, and István Herzog sued to recover the family’s art collection, which was seized by the Nazis in Budapest 1944 and later placed in several museums and university collections in Hungary. This chapter examines the legal questions raised by the case, which include a series of issues of international law and foreign state immunity.

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Vorheriges Kapitel Schoeps v. Museum of Modern Art

Nächstes Kapitel Detroit Institute of Arts and Toledo Museum of Art v. Ullin

On the Herzog family and their collection, see Applebome (2008), Dempsey (2010), McCagg (1972), and Vogel (2010).

Some of the works transported by Eichmann back to Germany were recovered by American forces and transferred to the Hungarian government after the war. Much of the collection is believed to have been taken by Soviet troops back to Russia.

The museums were the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Applied Arts, and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, 808 F. Supp.2d 113 (D.D.C. 2011).

De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, 714 F.3d 591 (D.C. Cir. 2013).

De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, 169 F. Supp.3d 143 (D.D.C. 2016). In a 2014 decision, the district declined to rule on the defendants’ renewed motion to dismiss until discovery was complete. De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, 75 F. Supp.3d 380 (D.D.C. 2014).

See Sections 3.5, 4.4, and 7.3 above. On foreign state immunity in American and international law, see generally Nanda and Pansius (2011), Yang (2012), Fox and Webb (2013).

Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(3).

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 128. Here the court relied on the formulation of Siderman de Blake v. Republic of Argentina, 965 F.2d 699 (9th Cir. 1992), discussed in Section 3.5 above, and also in American Law Institute (1987), § 712.

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 129.

Id., citing Altmann v. Republic of Austria, 317 F.3d 954, 968 (9th Cir. 2002).

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 130.

Id. at 131.

De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.2d at 168.

Simon v. Republic of Hungary, 812 F.3d 127, 142–43 (D.C. Cir. 2016) (emphasis in original), quoted in De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 163. This idea is also developed, as the district court noted, by the Seventh Circuit’s opinion in Abelesz v. Magyar Nemzeti Bank, 692 F.3d 661, 675 (7th Cir. 2012).

Simon, 812 F.3d at 149, quoted in De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 168.

De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 163.

Id.

Simon, 812 F.3d at 141, quoted in De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 163.

De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 163.

Id. (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 1603(b)).

Id. at 132.

Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(2). On the commercial activity exception, see generally Foster (2014) and Nanda and Pansius (2011), § 3:5.

Complaint, de Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, No. 10-Civ.-1261 (D.D.C.), ¶ 99.

Id., ¶ 100.

Republic of Argentina v. Weltover, Inc., 504 U.S. 607, 614 (1992) (emphasis in original), quoted in de Csepel, 714 F.3d at 599.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 599 (quoting Saudi Arabia v. Nelson, 507 U.S. 349, 360 (1993)).

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 599 (citing Treaty of Peace between Hungary and the Allied Powers art. 27 (Feb. 10, 1947), 61 Stat. 2065, 41 U.N.T.S. 135).

Id.

Id. at 599–600 (quoting Hungary’s brief).

Id. at 600–1.

Id. at 601.

Id. (quoting Westfield v. Federal Republic of Germany, 633 F.3d 409, 415 (6th Cir. 2011) (brackets omitted)).

De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 162.

Id. (brackets omitted).

Id. at 163.

Moore v. United Kingdom, 384 F.3d 1079, 1085 (9th Cir. 2004), quoted in De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 601.

Treaty of Peace between Hungary and the Allied Powers art. 27, 40 (Feb. 10, 1947), 61 Stat. 2065, 41 U.N.T.S. 135.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 602.

Id.

Agreement between the Government of the U.S. and the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic Regarding the Settlement of Claims (March 6, 1973), 24 U.S.T. 552.

De Csepel, 169 F. Supp.3d at 167. Elizabeth de Csepel became an American citizen in 1952.

Id.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 603.

Id. at 604.

See Section 14.3.3.

On the political question doctrine, see generally Choper (2005).

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 143, quoted by the appeals court in de Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604. The court of appeals adopted the district court’s reasoning as its own.

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 144, quoted by the appeals court in de Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604 (quoting the district court in de Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 144).

Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677, 713 (2004), quoted in De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604 (quoting McKesson Corp. v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 672 F.3d 1066, 1073 (D.C. Cir. 2012)). On the doctrine, see generally Harrison (2016).

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604 (quoting the district court in de Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 143).

Agudas Chasidei Chabad of U.S. v. Russian Federation, 528 F.3d 934, 950 (D.C. Cir. 2008), quoted in de Csepel, 714 F.3d at 605. On forum non conveniens, see generally Nanda and Pansius (2011), § 6:1.

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 138.

Id. (quoting Piper Aircraft Co v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 255 (1981)).

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 606.

D.C. Code § 12-301(2). As the court of appeals noted, actions brought under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act are controlled by the forum state’s time limits. De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 603.

Malewicz v. City of Amsterdam, 517 F. Supp.2d 322, 335 (D.D.C. 2007), quoted in De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 603. The Malewicz decision relied on In re McCagg, 450 A.2d 414, 416 (D.C. 1982).

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 603 (quoting Malewicz, 517 F. Supp.2d at 335); accord de Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 141.

The district court deemed the statute of limitations to have been “equitably tolled” during the Hungarian proceedings. The court of appeals found it unnecessary to reach that question, concluding instead that the claim had not accrued until the conclusion of those proceedings. See De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 603.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 604 (quoting complaint).

Id.

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 144.

Laker Airways Ltd. V. Sabena, Belgian World Airlines, 731 F.2d 909, 931 (D.C. Cir. 1984), quoted in de Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 145. On international comity, see generally Dodge (2015).

De Csepel, 808 F. Supp.2d at 145.

Complaint, de Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, No. 10-Civ.-1261 (D.D.C.), ¶ 79, quoted in de Csepel, 714 F.3d at 607.

De Csepel, 714 F.3d at 607.

Id.

Id. at 608.

Like other circuits, the D.C. Circuit has held that under the collateral order doctrine, a court’s refusal to grant foreign state immunity is immediately appealable. See Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 905 F.2d 438, 443 (D.C. Cir. 1990).

American Law Institute. 1987. Restatement (Third) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States. Saint Paul, MN: American Law Institute.

Applebome, Peter, 2008. Footprints of Holocaust in a Battle for Lost Art. New York Times, January 13.

Choper, Jesse H. 2005. The Political Question Doctrine: Suggested Criteria. Duke Law Journal 54: 1457–1523.

Dempsey, Judy. 2010. Roadblocks Remain in Case of Paintings Lost to Nazis. New York Times, October 28.

Dodge, William S. 2015. International Comity in American Law. Columbia Law Review 115: 2071–2104.

Foster, George K. 2014. When Commercial Meets Sovereign: A New Paradigm for Applying the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in Crossover Cases. Houston Law Review 52: 361–414.

Fox, Hazel, and Philippa Webb. 2013. The Law of State Immunity. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Harrison, John. 2016. The American Act of State Doctrine. Georgetown Journal of International Law 47: 507–571.

McCagg, William O. 1972. Jewish Nobles and Geniuses in Modern Hungary. New York: Columbia University Press.

Nanda, Ved P., and David K. Pansius. 2011. Litigation of International Disputes in U.S. Courts. 2nd ed. Saint Paul, MN: Thomson/West.

Vogel, Carol. 2010. Hungary Sued in Holocaust Art Claim. New York Times, July 27.

Yang, Xiadong. 2012. State Immunity in International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Agudas Chasidei Chabad of U.S. v. Russian Federation, 528 F.3d 934 (D.C. Cir 2008)

De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary, 808 F. Supp.2d 113 (D.D.C. 2011), aff’d in part and rev’d in part, 714 F.3d 591 (D.C. Cir. 2013), on remand, 169 F. Supp.3d 143 (D.D.C. 2016), appeal docketed, No. 16-7042 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 12, 2016)

Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 905 F.2d 438 (D.C. Cir. 1990)

In re McCagg, 450 A.2d 414 (D.C. 1982)

Laker Airways Ltd. V. Sabena, Belgian World Airlines, 731 F.2d 909 (D.C. Cir. 1984)

Malewicz v. City of Amsterdam, 517 F. Supp.2d 322 (D.D.C. 2007)

Moore v. United Kingdom, 384 F.3d 1079 (9th Cir. 2004)

Piper Aircraft Co v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235 (1981)

Republic of Argentina v. Weltover, Inc., 504 U.S. 607 (1992)

Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677 (2004)

Siderman de Blake v. Republic of Argentina, 965 F.2d 699 (9th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 1017 (1993)

Simon v. Republic of Hungary, 812 F.3d 127 (D.C. Cir. 2016)

Westfield v. Federal Republic of Germany, 633 F.3d 409 (6th Cir. 2011)

Titel: De Csepel v. Republic of Hungary
verfasst von: Bruce L. Hay
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Buch: Nazi-Looted Art and the Law
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-64966-5

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-64967-2

Copyright-Jahr: 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64967-2_12