On April 17, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Fady Asly, the Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, in a defamation case brought by a sitting judge. Asly had publicly criticized the Judge in connection with his highly controversial rulings issued against the foreign investors charging them almost USD 150 million. The Judge considered the criticism defamatory and filed a claim, which, if successful, could have potentially led to restrictions on free speech in Georgia.

After lengthy battles in Tbilisi City and the Appellate Courts, the Supreme Court reversed the decisions of the lower courts, fully rejected the defamation claim of Judge Vladimir Kakabadze, and ruled in favor of the Chairman of ICC Georgia, represented by BGI.

“This was a precedential case, and we are proud to have acted on this mandate. The Supreme Court shared our argument that freedom of expression is a fundamental right in any democratic society and the Judiciary should respect the different opinions and tolerate criticism,” noted George Sarajishvili, Head of BGI’s Litigation Practice who led the effort.