ON BACKGROUND
On March 6, 2025, the First Department dismissed Black’s malicious prosecution lawsuit against Wigdor; the Court concluded that Black was unable to show that his claim had a substantial basis under NY’s anti-SLAPP law. In remanding the case back down to the trial court, the First Department ordered that Ganieva and Black are entitled to attorney’s fees. The anti-SLAPP law also contains provisions that could subject Black to compensatory and punitive damages.
STATEMENT FROM DOUGLAS H. WIGDOR AND JEANNE M. CHRISTENSEN, WIGDOR LLP
“This is now the second lawsuit that Leon Black has brought against Wigdor that has been dismissed. Unfortunately, being a billionaire buys access to our court system and lawyers who attempt to silence sexual assault survivors through SLAPP lawsuits. The lawyers from Quinn Emanuel, Perry Law, and Estrich Goldin should be ashamed of themselves for doing Black’s bidding. We are pleased that the First Department ordered attorney’s fees, and we are currently exploring the possibility of seeking compensatory and punitive damages under NY’s anti-SLAPP law against all appropriate defendants.”
A copy of the decision is here.
Any questions may be directed to attorney Jeanne Christensen (jchristensen@wigdorlaw.com) or to Director of Marketing Tess Neudeck (tneudeck@wigdorlaw.com).