BNP Paribas Can’t Claim Lawyer Misconduct in Sudan Verdict

BNP Paribas SA can’t use allegations of misconduct against an opposing lawyer to undo a $20.75 million verdict against the bank for funding a regime responsible for widespread human rights abuses in Sudan.

In a hearing on Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a claim by BNP Paribas’ lawyer accusing one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers of improperly coaching witnesses and pressuring experts in preparation for the trial. The judge called the allegations “serious and disturbing” but said BNP Paribas had failed to suggest the trial itself was affected.

“This is nothing, Mr. Berke,” US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein told BNP Paribas’s ...