Welfenschatz: U.S. Solicitor General supports SPK in proceedings before the Supreme Court
Press release from 05/28/2020
United States Department of Justice recommends that the U.S. Supreme Court hear the Guelph Treasure case and overturn lower court decision
In June 2019, the SPK turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in the restitution proceedings concerning the Guelph Treasure. It requested a ruling on the legal question of whether the action against it is admissible in the United States. The Supreme Court then asked the Solicitor General, who speaks for the US government as a representative of the Department of Justice, for an opinion.
In his opinion to the court published on 26 May 2020, the Solicitor General expressly recommends that the Supreme Court should address the legal issues presented by the SPK and supports the SPK's request to overturn the decision of the lower court, which states that the lawsuit is admissible in the US. The SPK welcomes this opinion and hopes that the U.S. Supreme Court will now accept the SPK's application and rule on it.
The action for the return of the Guelph Treasure at issue was filed in February 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. (Philipp and Stiebel v. Federal Republic of Germany and Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz). Irrespective of the fact that the SPK considers the content of the lawsuit to be unfounded, it was and is of the opinion that this case does not belong before a U.S. court. The SPK is represented in the U.S. proceedings by the law firm Wiggin and Dana in New Haven.