Billionaire Named in Suit Against Anti-Iran Group
A billionaire Wall Street commodities investor has been drawn into a court fight against one of the nation’s most influential anti-Iran advocacy groups.
The fight stems from a defamation lawsuit by Victor Restis, a Greek businessman whom the group, United Against Nuclear Iran, accused last year of doing business with Tehran.
In turn, Mr. Restis has drawn the billionaire philanthropist Thomas S. Kaplan into the case, asking a federal judge to order him to turn over documents that he suspects are related to the case.
The Justice Department’s unexpected involvement raises questions about the relationship between the American government and United Against Nuclear Iran, Mr. Restis’s lawyers say.
The court filings in the case, meanwhile, have grown increasingly bitter, and neither side has suggested any interest in settling. Lawyers for Mr. Restis have asked a federal judge to order documents from Mr. Kaplan, who runs Tigris Financial Group.
A Justice Department spokeswoman did not respond to a message seeking comment about the government’s involvement in the case. A judge has given the Justice Department until Sept. 12 to decide whether to try to permanently block release of the files. That deadline has been extended several times.
Source: NYT
