No Immunity for Venezuela in Suit Over Bolívar Collection

Venezuela can be sued in federal court by the owner of a collection of Simón Bolívar artifacts to seek its return, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said May 10.

Venezuela can be haled into U.S. court under the commercial activity exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, the opinion by Judge Robin S. Rosenbaum said.

The artifacts of Bolívar, a founding father of South America, have been in Ricardo Devengoechea’s family for generations. Representatives of the Venezuelan government contacted Devengoechea in Florida to ask about purchasing his collection.

In 2007, Devengoechea took his collection to Venezuela ...