Elliott Broidy, a former fundraiser for ex-President Donald Trump, has reportedly lost his bid to penalize the multinational law firm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, over alleged conflict of interest in defendant representation. Broidy’s accusations stemmed from a lawsuit he has been pursuing since 2019, claiming a Qatar-led hacking scheme against him.
Broidy once served as the deputy finance chair for the Republican National Committee. He alleged that Kevin Chalker, the individual associated with the firm Global Risk Advisors, was responsible for hacking his email server and compromising his private communications under Qatar’s orchestration. As part of the unfolding legal drama, Broidy sought penalties against Gibson Dunn for their representation of the accused, Chalker.
The alleged conflict of interest, according to Broidy’s representatives, arose from Gibson Dunn attorney Zainab Ahmad’s previous position in the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. During her tenure, Broidy’s counsel alleged, Ahmad had access to confidential information about Broidy.
However, the accusation was challenged by both Gibson Dunn and Ahmad. The contention of the law firm was that Ahmad was never privy to any confidential information concerning Broidy since he was not a subject of interest during Mueller’s Russian election interference investigation.
In a recent verdict, the Southern District of New York’s Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that Broidy failed to meet the burden of proof that Gibson Dunn committed any misconduct, quashing his claims. She further noted that the conflict of interest matter is now “moot,” considering Gibson Dunn is no longer involved in the case.
While no response has been forthcoming from Gibson Dunn or Broidy’s representatives, Chalker has since hired new attorney representation from Hughes Hubbard & Reed.
It’s worth noting that Chalker is not Broidy’s only legal target; he has also targeted several individuals in a related alleged hack-and-smear campaign, pursuing separate claims in Washington against a group of US lobbyists.
The case titled Broidy Capital Management v. Global Risk Advisors continues to unfold in the Southern District of New York, under case number S.D.N.Y., No. 1:19-cv-11861-mkv.