Skip to content

Case Detail

[Subscribe to updates]
Case TitleCHAM BANK S.A. v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2022cv00358
Date Filed2022-02-09
Date ClosedOpen
JudgeJudge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
PlaintiffCHAM BANK S.A.
Case DescriptionCham Bank, a Syrian bank, submitted two FOIA requests to the Department of Treasury for records concerning the designation of the Cham Bank as a specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The agency acknowledged receipt of the requests but after hearing nothing further from the agency, Cham Bank filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Fees, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
Complaint attachment 5
Complaint attachment 6
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2022-02-091COMPLAINT against U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number ADCDC-9034641) filed by CHAM BANK S.A.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1 - Dec. 20, 2017 FOIA Request, # 2 Exhibit 2 - Jan. 9, 2018 FOIA Request, # 3 Civil Cover Sheet, # 4 Summons U.S. Department of Treasury, # 5 Summons U.S. Attorney General, # 6 Summons U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)(Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 02/09/2022)
2022-02-092LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by CHAM BANK S.A. (Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 02/09/2022)
2022-02-093NOTICE of Appearance by Mitchell R. Berger on behalf of CHAM BANK S.A. (Berger, Mitchell) (Entered: 02/09/2022)
2022-02-094NOTICE of Appearance by Amy Brown Doolittle on behalf of CHAM BANK S.A. (Doolittle, Amy) (Entered: 02/09/2022)
2022-02-10Case Assigned to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. (zsb) (Entered: 02/10/2022)
2022-02-115ORDER ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR CASES ASSIGNED TO JUDGE COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 2/11/22. (DM) (Entered: 02/11/2022)
2022-02-146SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zsb) (Entered: 02/14/2022)
2022-03-087NOTICE of Appearance by Stephen DeGenaro on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 03/08/2022)
2022-03-088Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to Respond to the Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 03/08/2022)
2022-03-09MINUTE ORDER: The Court is in receipt of Defendants' 8 Consent Motion for an Extension of Time to Respond to the Complaint. Counsel for Defendant represents that he has a substantial docket of active cases and requires additional time to confer with agency counsel. As such, Defendant requests an extension of time, from March 24, 2022, to April 21, 2022, to respond to Plaintiff's 1 Complaint. Plaintiff consents to the motion, and this is Defendant's first such request for relief. Accordingly, and upon good cause shown, Defendant's 8 Motion is GRANTED . Defendant shall answer or otherwise respond to Plaintiff's 1 Complaint on or before April 21, 2022. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on March 9, 2022. (lcckk1) (Entered: 03/09/2022)
2022-03-09Set/Reset Deadlines: Defendant shall answer or otherwise respond to Plaintiff's 1 Complaint on or before 4/21/2022. (dot) (Entered: 03/09/2022)
2022-03-229RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 3/7/2022. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 4/6/2022. (Doolittle, Amy) (Entered: 03/22/2022)
2022-03-2210RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General Feb. 22, 2022. (Doolittle, Amy) (Entered: 03/22/2022)
2022-03-2211RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY served on 2/22/2022 (Doolittle, Amy) (Entered: 03/22/2022)
2022-04-2112ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY.(DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 04/21/2022)
2022-04-2113ORDER. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on April 21, 2022. (lcckk1) (Entered: 04/21/2022)
2022-04-21Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Meet & Confer Statement due by 5/19/2022. (dot) (Entered: 04/21/2022)
2022-05-1914Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 05/19/2022)
2022-05-19MINUTE ORDER: The Court is in receipt of the parties' 14 Joint Status Report. The parties shall file another joint status report on or before August 17, 2022 and every ninety days thereafter. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on May 19, 2022. (lcckk1) (Entered: 05/19/2022)
2022-05-19Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 8/17/2022 and every ninety days thereafter. (dot) (Entered: 05/20/2022)
2022-08-1715Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 08/17/2022)
2022-11-1416Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (Venguswamy, Kartik) (Entered: 11/14/2022)
2023-01-2717MOTION for Hearing -Status Conference by CHAM BANK S.A.. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order Granting Status Conference)(Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 01/27/2023)
2023-01-29MINUTE ORDER: The Court is in receipt of Plaintiff's 17 Motion for a Status Conference. Plaintiff evidently intends to request, during a status conference, that the Court (1) set a schedule for Defendant to complete its FOIA productions and (2) permit Plaintiff to move to amend its complaint to add claims beyond FOIA, currently the sole basis of its operative complaint. Because a status conference is unnecessary for Plaintiff to move for such relief, Plaintiff's 17 Motion for a Status Conference is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE . Briefly, the Court notes that, consistent with longstanding appellate precedent, the Court does not generally order more expeditious productions in FOIA cases. See Open Am. v. Watergate Special Prosecution Force , 547 F.2d 605, 615-16 (D.C. Cir. 1976) (precluding injunctive relief expediting a FOIA request in the absence of "exceptional circumstances"); In re Barr Labs., Inc. , 930 F.2d 72, 75 (D.C. Cir. 1991) (more generally precluding "a judicial order putting [a plaintiff] at the head of [a] queue [only to] move[] all others back one space and produce[] no net gain"). Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on January 29, 2023. (lcckk1) (Entered: 01/29/2023)
2023-02-0718WITHDRAWN PURSUANT TO NOTICE FILED 05/02/2023.....MOTION to Amend/Correct Complaint by CHAM BANK S.A.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A - FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT, # 2 Exhibit 1 - to First Amended Complaint, # 3 Exhibit 2 - to First Amended Complaint, # 4 Text of Proposed Order (Exhibit B) Granting Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint)(Baloul, Gassan) Modified on 5/3/2023 (zjm). (Entered: 02/07/2023)
2023-02-1319Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 02/13/2023)
2023-02-2120Memorandum in opposition to re 18 Motion to Amend/Correct, filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 02/21/2023)
2023-02-2821REPLY to opposition to motion re 18 MOTION to Amend/Correct Complaint filed by CHAM BANK S.A.. (Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 02/28/2023)
2023-05-0222NOTICE OF RELATED CASE by CHAM BANK S.A.. Case related to Case No. 1:23-cv-01212. (Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 05/02/2023)
2023-05-0223NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF MOTION by CHAM BANK S.A. re 18 MOTION to Amend/Correct Complaint (Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 05/02/2023)
2023-05-1524Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (Venguswamy, Kartik) (Entered: 05/15/2023)
2023-08-1025Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (DeGenaro, Stephen) (Entered: 08/10/2023)
2023-09-2226STIPULATION of Dismissal Joint by CHAM BANK S.A.. (Baloul, Gassan) (Entered: 09/22/2023)
2023-09-2227ORDER dismissing case without prejudice. The Clerk of Court is respectfully directed to close this case. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on September 22, 2023. (lcckk1) (Entered: 09/22/2023)
Hide Docket Events
by FOIA Project Staff
Skip to toolbar