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AWC lawsuit over fake Yquem thrown out
A lawsuit levelled at fine wine merchant the Antique Wine Company over “fake” Château d’Yquem has been thrown out of an Atlanta court but proceedings could now move to the UK.
Described by the UK merchant as “opportunistic extortion”, the case was brought by Georgia businessman, Julian LeCraw, last year when the property developer accused the company of selling him “fake” wines most notably a bottle of 1787 Yquem.
He also planned to sue for unpaid bills for wine he consigned to AWC which have widely been quoted as amounting to US$450,000.
AWC moved to have the case thrown out of court last June on the grounds that the case could not be heard in Georgia as it has no business links to the state and because its Purchase agreement states that purchases must be governed by English law.
Judge Richard Story of the US district court for the northern district of Georgia evidently agreed and dismissed the case on 19 March.
AWC founder and managing director, Stephen Williams, said: “Despite our success in this litigation, The Antique Wine Company still hopes to resolve any dissatisfaction that Mr Lecraw Jr. might have with our company, just the same as we would any other client.
“I thank our Counsel for their work on the robust defence, our staff in London and the many experts who together collated over 250 pages of declarations, exhibits and evidence The Antique Wine Company presented. Last but not least I would like to thank our loyal customers around the world for their ongoing faith and confidence in our company and the expertise it provides.”
However, although AWC can celebrate overcoming one hurdle the case is not completely dismissed by any means.
LeCraw has 30 days to appeal the court’s decision and the case has only been dismissed from Georgia’s courtrooms, the complaint could still be filed in a UK court.
As reported by Wine-Searcher, LeCraw’s lawyer has said AWC’s statement about the dismissal is “misleading” and that LeCraw’s claims are “very much alive” and that he is “considering all of his options”.