Financial Tribune:

A jury verdict allowing the US government to seize a midtown Manhattan office tower that it said was effectively controlled by Iran was thrown out on Friday by a federal appeals court, which cited several errors by the trial judge.

The 3-0 decision by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan is a defeat for the Department of Justice, which went to trial hoping to sell the 36-story building at 650 Fifth Avenue, perhaps for close to $1 billion, and distribute proceeds to victims of bombings and other attacks blamed on Iran.

Jurors had found in June 2017 that the nonprofit Alavi Foundation, which had a 60% stake in the partnership that owned the building, violated US sanctions imposed against Iran in 1995 because it knew that the 40% owner, Assa Corp, was allegedly a front for an Iranian state-owned lender, Bank Melli.

But in Friday’s decision, Circuit Judge Richard Wesley faulted trial judge Katherine Forrest, who is now in private practice, for “a troubling pattern of errors on relatively straightforward issues”.

Wesley said these included admitting videotapes of former Alavi board members repeatedly invoking their constitutional right against self-incrimination and refusing to let Alavi gather evidence to show the government sued too late.

“If this case returns to trial, a properly informed jury may or may not find for the government—a topic on which we have no opinion,” Wesley wrote.

“But getting to any outcome requires a fair and procedurally adequate process, something that has been lacking in this case. There are no shortcuts in the rule of law.”

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