Dear Clients and Business Partners,
The pioneering Class Action against Petrobras was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on December 8, 2014, by Almeida Advogados in partnership with the US law firm Wolf Popper LLP. Since then, we have had the opportunity to communicate broadly with our clients and business partners regarding the legal significance of the case.
Now, for the first time, André de Almeida, the Founding and Managing Partner of Almeida Advogados, recounts in detail for the Brazilian magazine Piauí, the story behind the billion-dollar lawsuit against Petrobras in the United States.
“André de Almeida remembers how cold it was in New York on Monday, December 8, 2014: ‘It was a freezing, blustery day, the kind you’d rather spend at home drinking hot tea.’ He made a quick stop in the morning at Wolf Popper, the American law firm he had joined. ‘The plan had been to file the suit the week before, but we had to wrap up some details.’ He grabbed lunch at a nearby bistro and decided to wait in his hotel until 4 PM, when the New York Stock Exchange closes. ‘We didn’t want to file before that, to avoid scaring the market.’
A half hour later he arrived at the 27-story building that houses the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. He took off his wool suitcoat at the reception and handed his passport to security, where he was stopped by the metal detector because of a spiral notebook in his briefcase. After resolving the hitch, he entered the hall that features a statue of Justice, and from there he proceeded to the new claims division. ‘It was a waiting room with a counter, where the attorneys were called on first-come basis,’ he tells. In his briefcase, a 38-page claim against Petrobras. ‘The brief had already been filed, minutes before, by internet,’ he continues. ‘Anyone could have gone in my place to pick up the receipt, but I wanted to be there. It was an important case in Brazil’s legal history – and in my professional career.’”
To access the full article published in English, please click here.
Almeida Advogados’ Team