Overview
(August 25, 2026, Washington, DC) — Steptoe secured a complete victory for DISH Network Corporation and its Chairman, Charles Ergen, in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court affirmed the district court’s dismissal with prejudice of all claims brought by Standard General and its principal, Soohyung Kim, arising from the failed Standard General-TEGNA transaction.
In April 2024, SGCI and Kim, represented by Consovoy McCarthy, filed suit against the FCC, FCC officials, DISH, Mr. Ergen, and eight other private defendants. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants participated in a conspiracy to derail the proposed transaction and asserted that their actions were motivated by anti-Asian bias. They sought billions of dollars in damages from the private defendants.
On August 19, 2025, the district court dismissed all claims with prejudice. The plaintiffs subsequently appealed. On August 25, 2026, the D.C. Circuit issued a full affirmance of the district court’s judgment. Among other holdings, the court determined that SGCI and Kim failed to plausibly allege racial animus, rejecting a central component of their claims. The decision represents a complete victory for DISH and Mr. Ergen.
The Steptoe team was led by Elyse Echtman, who secured dismissal of the claims at the district court level, and Michelle Kallen, who argued the appeal on behalf of the ten private appellees. The team also included Evelyn Hudson and received valuable support from paralegals Riley John and John Croes.
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients and innovative thinking before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
