Axinn Successfully Obtains Order Affirming Dismissal of Federal Discrimination Claims Against the American Bankers Association

Axinn successfully obtained an order affirming dismissal of federal discrimination claims against its client, American Bankers Association, in Corey Lea v. U.S. Department of Agriculture in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Plaintiff-Appellants in the case accused American Bankers Association and other trade associations of purportedly conspiring with the federal government to discriminate against Black farmers in violation of various constitutional protections and federal and local laws, and sought treble and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief. At the district court below in the Middle District of Tennessee from which the appeal arose, Axinn filed a motion to dismiss the claims.

The district court below granted Axinn’s motion to dismiss and agreed with the Axinn team’s arguments, holding that plaintiffs had a lack of standing to bring the claims and that there was no personal jurisdiction or proper venue over the claims. The district court also noted that plaintiffs had already litigated the same claims unsuccessfully in the past in other jurisdictions. The 6th Circuit affirmed dismissal on the ground that there was no proper venue over the claims.

The Axinn team included Aziz Burgy, Tom Rohback, Danielle Irvine, and Jason Wasserman.