JPP’s Litigation Lawyer Jodi Tierney is very used to dealing with high value litigation but rarely do the cases spark interest from the national press. However, when the matter involves a renown Mexican artist and missing artwork, a case gains public interest.
Jodi successfully represented Principal Art S.L when a painting on loan was not returned. A summary of the case is as follows.
“In a London court, an art dealer, Esperanza Koren, has been ordered to pay £111,000 for a missing abstract painting by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi. The painting, described by the judge as resembling a “giant burnt digestive biscuit,” went missing after being loaned to Koren in 2012. The Barcelona-based gallery, Principal Art, which owns the painting, sued Koren for €100,000 when she failed to return the painting and failed to pay for it as promised. Koren, who worked as an agent for the gallery had offered, via WhatsApp, to buy the artwork instead of returning it as she claimed to have no knowledge of its whereabouts. The painting remains missing and the court ruled that the WhatsApp message constituted a legally binding contract to buy the painting. Koren’s lack of recollection about its whereabouts led the judge to believe she might have used it as collateral for other debts. The court awarded £86,500 in damages, plus £6,500 in interest and £18,000 in costs, making the total amount £111,000.”
To date the case has been reported in, The Times & Sunday Times, the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Evening Standard and Artnet News.
Carlos Yzaguirre, owner of Principal Art praised Jodi for her “hard work and resilience”.
Jodi comments, “As the case was started before the pandemic we’ve had to overcome many hurdles, through no fault of the Claimant, to get to this judgment, so it’s been a long time coming. The “burnt digestive biscuit” analogy could, possibly, have been one of my more entertaining moments in court”
When reached by Artnet News, the artist offered no comment on the verdict, but said of [the] Saggerson’s critique: “Of course, anyone can describe, feel, or understand my work as they want.”
This is not Jodi’s first high profile case. She was part of the team that successfully defended the former CEO of Madoff Securities International Limited (MSIL) against claims brought by the Liquidators in a six-week trial in the High Court. The proceedings were concerned with Bernard Madoff’s London business, MSIL, which had not been part of the Ponzi scheme that resulted in the imprisonment of Bernard Madoff. However, the liquidators of MSIL brought claims against 6 of its former directors (which included Madoff’s two sons), alleging breach of directors’ duties.
If you are looking for a Litigation/Dispute Resolution lawyer to represent you then talk to Jodi who has a very successful track record for resolving disputes for clients. Jodi has acted for companies and individuals, including many household names involving sums less than £10,000 to many millions, both in the UK and internationally, in a wide range of disputes.
Jodi’s varied expertise includes;
- Commercial litigation and dispute resolution
- Contract Disputes
- Recovery of Debts
- Factoring and Invoice Discounting Law (including fraud)
- Disputes regarding Guarantees and Indemnities
- Mediation
- Arbitration
- Insolvency (both contentious and non-contentious)
For more information call 020 3468 3064 or email [email protected]
