Davis Polk represented the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in a lawsuit brought by several of Peggy Guggenheim’s descendants before the Paris District Court (Tribunal de grande instance).

The descendants challenged the donations made by Peggy Guggenheim to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, regarding the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice and the modern art collection which it houses.

 In a judgment handed down on July 2, 2014, the court rejected the claimants’ suit in its entirety, considering that it rested upon the same allegations which had already been dismissed in the court’s 1994 decision. The court also ruled that the Foundation’s use of the museum gardens was appropriate and respectful of Peggy Guggenheim’s memory.

The claimants were ordered to contribute towards the expenses incurred by the Foundation for the purposes of the lawsuit, in the amount of €30,000.

Partner Christophe Perchet and associate Louis-Marie Pillebout pleaded the case before the court, with the assistance of associate Patrick Dupuis. Partner Antonio J. Perez-Marques and associates Matthew B. Rowland and Jami Johnson provided New York law advice. Members of the Davis Polk team are based in the Paris and New York offices.

Co-counsel Pierre-Louis Dauzier assisted the Paris team for copyright issues. 

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