Gibson Dunn Takes US Gymnast Chiles’ Medal Fight to Swiss Court

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is representing US Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles as she tries to win back a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris games.

Chiles was stripped of her medal by a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last month after a challenge by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation. Gibson Dunn and Zurich-headquartered firm Homburger AG on Monday filed an appeal in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, seeking to overturn that decision.

Chiles is represented by Gibson Dunn partner Maurice Suh, a Los Angeles-based lawyer who’s co-chair of the firm’s sports law practice, it said in a statement. He has plenty of experience before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a Switzerland-based body that governs athletics disputes.

Suh represented US cyclist Floyd Landis in an appeal of a positive doping result that disqualified him from the 2006 Tour de France. He represented sprinter Justin Gatlin before the CAS in an appeal of a doping suspension in 2008.

He’s also advised companies in matters related to Olympic sponsorships, according to his law firm biography.

Chiles originally finished in bronze medal position in the floor event at the Olympic Games in France, where she was part of the gold medal-winning US women’s gymnastics team. That was after a coach’s scoring inquiry, which added points to her score.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport later ruled that the inquiry was requested four seconds too late. Without the additional points, Chiles finished fifth in the competition.

Lawyers for Chiles argue in the appeal that the court’s decision was deficient, Gibson Dunn said in its statement. The court didn’t consider video evidence showing the scoring inquiry was registered in time, according to the firm.

The appeal also argues the ruling suffered from a conflict of interest. Hamid Gharavi, the president of the arbitration panel that revoked the medal and awarded it to a Romanian, was actively representing Romania at the time of the case, according to the lawyers.

Chiles’ legal team also plans to file an additional petition seeking alternative relief from the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The appeals could result in a retrial allowing Chiles to prepare a defense and present evidence, the statement said.

“Every part of the Olympics, including the arbitration process, should stand for fair play,” Suh said in the statement.