Steptoe's Drimmer Honored By US Dept Of Justice

For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, 201-493-1027

(November 19, 2008, Washington, D.C.) – Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a leading international law firm, is celebrating the selection of its Washington, D.C., partner Jonathan C. Drimmer as a recipient of a prestigious Human Rights Law Enforcement Award from the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”).

Mr. Drimmer and others on the team he led received the Award at the Department’s annual ceremony Tuesday, November 18^th for their roles in successfully prosecuting of one of the DOJ’s highest profile cases, the retrial of Ukrainian immigrant John Demjanjuk.  Convicted of serving as a senior guard at two Nazi death camps, Demjanjuk is widely viewed as the most notorious war criminal ever to enter the United States.  Mr. Drimmer assumed responsibility as lead counsel on the first day of Demjanjuk’s trial, when a senior lawyer was forced to withdraw. 

“Jonathan achieved a significant victory for global justice in his team’s brilliant prosecution of John Demjanjuk,” said Roger Warin, Steptoe’s Chairman.  “Previous court decisions, including those sharply criticizing the Justice Department, created a highly challenging context for this group’s prosecutorial efforts.  But Jonathan and his team surmounted every obstacle to prevail in this important and extremely high-profile case.  We are proud to count Jonathan among our valued colleagues at Steptoe and delighted that the Justice Department is recognizing his important contribution with this Human Rights Law Enforcement Award.”

Mr. Drimmer’s current practice at Steptoe focuses on the extraterritorial application of US laws, assisting clients develop preventative strategies, navigate discrete questions and problems, and defend them in litigation.  A recognized authority on the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), he advises and represents clients in matters related to the ATCA, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, human rights, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, financial reporting and securities laws, cross-border US government enforcement efforts, business and personal tort liability, and other areas.

Demjanjuk first was tried in 1981 of being the infamous "Ivan the Terrible" of the Treblinka extermination camp.  He was extradited to Israel in 1986, convicted of crimes against humanity by an Israeli trial court, and sentenced to death. The Israeli Supreme Court later found that reasonable doubt existed as to whether Demjanjuk was Ivan the Terrible, and the 6^th Circuit US Court of Appeals harshly criticized the Justice Department’s prior conduct in the case, stating that it had committed a “fraud upon the court.”  However, the Justice Department was authorized to initiate new proceedings if it had evidence supporting other charges against Demjanjuk.

In 1999, prior to joining Steptoe, Mr. Drimmer was a member of the team in the Criminal Division in DOJ’s Office of Special Investigations that filed the new complaint against Demjanjuk.  It alleged that the former Ohio auto worker had served as a senior guard at the Sobibór extermination camp in Poland, where 250,000 men, women, and children were murdered, the Majdanek death camp in Poland, where at least 170,000 civilians were killed during World War II, and at the Flossenbürg concentration camp in Germany, where some 90,000 individuals died.  The complaint also accused Demjanjuk of being a member of the SS-run unit that played a key role in killing nearly 1.7 million Jews in the General Government of Poland. 

After a 2001 trial on these charges, Mr. Drimmer and his team’s prosecutorial efforts led to a February 2002 judicial decision that the Justice Department had proven its case by clear, convincing and unequivocal evidence.  The court concluded that Demjanjuk had been a “willing guard” who participated in “the process by which thousands of Jews were murdered by asphyxiation with carbon monoxide.”  In 2003, Mr. Drimmer briefed and argued the successful appeal before the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals.  Mr. Drimmer was promoted to OSI Deputy Director, and later joined Steptoe in 2004.

Further administrative proceedings against Demjanjuk concluded in June 2008, and Germany recently announced its intent to seek Demjanjuk’s extradition.

This is the second major award from DOJ that Mr. Drimmer has earned based on his work on the Demjanjuk case.  While at the Department, in 2002, he earned a national award as the Department’s top new employee in large part for his efforts in leading to Demjanjuk’s downfall.

Mr. Drimmer is currently an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches courses on the ATCA, international war crimes, the Patriot Act, looted artworks, terrorism-related crimes, the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, military tribunals, and irregular rendition.  He is also a Lexis/Nexis Contributing Expert on international legal issues, and frequent media commentator on the ATCA and war crimes-related issues.

About Steptoe

With more than 550 attorneys, Steptoe & Johnson LLP provides counsel and representation in a wide range of legal fields.  In more than 60 years of practice, the firm has gained a national and international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions.  The firm has offices in Washington, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Century City, London, and Brussels.