Overview
(July 28, 2026, Washington, DC) – Steptoe LLP successfully represented members of the von Pezold family in obtaining summary judgment from the US District Court for the District of Columbia enforcing a $270 million arbitration award against the Republic of Zimbabwe arising from Zimbabwe’s expropriation of the von Pezold family's farming, forestry, and timber assets without compensation as part of a land reform program.
In a July 25, 2026 ruling, District Judge Amit P. Mehta confirmed and enforced awards issued by an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) tribunal to the von Pezold family and affiliated companies. The court rejected Zimbabwe's arguments in opposition to summary judgment and its efforts to reduce the awards based on the investors' continued operation of portions of the properties, holding that US courts are not empowered to revisit the tribunal's determinations.
The ruling follows a significant appellate victory for the von Pezolds in November 2024, when the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that US courts have jurisdiction to enforce the ICSID awards under the arbitration exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The Court rejected Zimbabwe's arguments that enforcement was limited to Zimbabwe.
The Steptoe team representing the von Pezolds included Chris Paparella, Michael Baratz, Justin Ben-Asher, and Riley John. Matthew Coleman and Thomas Innes of Steptoe's London office represented the von Pezolds and their affiliated companies in the underlying ICSID arbitrations.
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.
