Expropriation, access to justice (and Wikileaks): a comparative case study of funding difficult cases in England and the United States

Abstract

*C.J.Q. 113 Cassirer v Kingdom of Spain and the Thyssen-Bournemisa Collection Foundation 461 F.Supp.2d 1157 (CD. Cal. 2006) concerns the expropriation of a Camille Pisarro painting, Rue Saint Honore-apres midi, effet de pluie, from the plaintiff's grandmother. The painting is displayed in the Foundation's gallery in Spain. The plaintiff, a US citizen and a resident of California, sought to recover the painting as heir by issuing proceedings in the US District Court in California started in 2005. At no time did he issue proceedings in Spain. The painting was worth at the time of the case around $400 million