Jason W. Myatt is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firms’ Litigation, Judgment and Arbitral Enforcement and International Arbitration practice groups.
Jason’s practice focuses on complex and high-stakes commercial and financial disputes, including both litigation and arbitration, with a particular emphasis in enforcing judgments and international arbitration awards against sovereign nations and multinational companies. This work includes enforcement actions in the United States as well as coordination of asset recovery efforts across multiple jurisdictions. Jason also regularly advises a global client base on proactive approaches to enforcement strategy and implementation in anticipation of future judgments and arbitral awards. Jason’s clients operate in a number of fields, including the energy, construction, telecommunications, finance, petroleum and mining industries.
In additional to his enforcement-related work, Jason’s experience also includes litigating business torts, breach of contract, ERISA, real estate, and bankruptcy issues, as well as securities litigation, including ground-breaking work in limiting the American Pipe tolling doctrine in the Second Circuit, a change in law that was subsequently affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. He has tried cases in federal and state trial courts throughout the nation, and has argued and won appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Jason has also represented clients in connection with investigations conducted by the Department of Justice, State Attorneys General and other regulatory entities.
He was named by Lawdragon in their 2023 Leading Global Litigators guide and the 2021 Global Litigation 500 for International Litigation, with particular experience of note in enforcement.
Select Representative Experience
- Representing Crystallex International Corp. in connection with proceedings in Washington, D.C., Delaware, New York and elsewhere to enforce a $1.4 billion judgment against Venezuela, including successfully a writ of execution over the shares of the Delaware parent of Citgo Petroleum Corp. to Crystallex’s arbitral award against Venezuela.
- Representing terrorism victims in New York and elsewhere in efforts to enforce more than $10 billion in judgments against state sponsors of terrorism.
- Representing Sociedad Concesionaria Metropolitana de Salud S.A. in the enforcement of its $139 million arbitration award against WeBuild.
- Representing Yukos Capital in the enforcement of its $5 billion arbitration award against the Russian Federation.
- Representing Sea Search Armada in an UNCITRAL arbitration under the U.S.-Colombia FTA concerning the expropriation of Sea Search Armada’s interest in the treasure it found on the San José Galleon—sunk in 1708—the largest treasure discovery in history.
- Represented Tethyan Copper Company in connection with proceedings in the British Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C. and New York enforcing $6 billion arbitral award against Pakistan, resulting in a multi-billion dollar settlement.
- Represented Arcelor Mittal in connection with proceedings in New York, London and the Cayman Islands resulting in a successful settlement of ArcelorMittal’s $1.3 billion arbitral award against Essar Steel.
- Represented Pearl Petroleum, Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas in connection with enforcement of arbitral award against Iraqi Kurdistan in proceedings in the UK, United States, and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), resulting in a substantial settlement with Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Represented PDL Biopharma, Inc. in successful enforcement of multiple guaranties of a $100 million loan.
- Represented Artémis and François Pinault in two federal jury trials brought by the California Insurance Commissioner, alleging fraud in connection with the rehabilitation of Executive Life Insurance Company. Both juries returned defense verdicts. Recognized as one of the Top Ten Defense Verdicts of the year by the California Daily Journal.
- Represented numerous securities underwriters in securities class action lawsuits involving more than $56 billion in mortgage pass-through certificates, including the affirmance in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit of a ruling declining to extend the American Pipe tolling doctrine to the statute of repose of the Securities Act of 1933.
- Represented of Lehman Brothers, and subsequently, Barclays, in connection with Chapter 11 proceedings of Asarco, LLC, including in a trial relating to Barclays’s fees.
- Represented Verizon in a bench trial against a competitive local exchange carrier, obtaining a $60 million judgment (having previously obtained a prejudgment attachment) against Global NAPs and several alter egos leading to the appoint of a receiver in aid of execution.
Jason earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin, where he served as an Articles Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review and was elected a member of the Order of the Coif. He received his Master of Science in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin in 2003 and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Duke University in 1998.Jason is a member of Gibson Dunn's Diversity Committee. He is admitted to practice in the States of New York and Wisconsin, before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Western District of Wisconsin and before the United States Court of Appeals for the First, Second, Third and Ninth Circuit.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Accounting Firm Advisory and Defense
- Anti-Corruption & FCPA
- Class Actions
- Crisis Management
- International Arbitration
- Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement
- National Security
- Securities Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- Trials
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- University of Wisconsin - 2003 Master of Science
- University of Wisconsin - 2003 Juris Doctor
- Duke University - 1998 Bachelor of Science
Admissions:
- New York Bar
- Wisconsin Bar