Big U.S. Lawsuit Over Hacking Ends Quietly – No One Admits Guilt
By Tudayadah.com | Source: Reuters
A law firm in Philadelphia called Dechert has now put an end to two major lawsuits in the U.S. that accused it of hiring hackers to help win a court case. According to Reuters, the cases have been settled, but no one admitted they did anything wrong.
In simple terms, this case started in 2022 when an aviation businessman named Farhad Azima said some people hacked into his private emails and leaked them online to make him look bad in court. Azima took legal action against Dechert and others, including U.S. PR agents, a private investigator, and even some people linked to Israel.
One case was filed in New York, and another in North Carolina. Reuters reports that both cases were dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning they cannot be reopened. This usually hints that both sides reached some sort of final agreement, even if we don’t know the full details.
Although Dechert already settled with Azima last year, Azima’s lawsuits against other people like Amit Forlit, an Israeli private investigator; Amir Handjani, a lawyer; and Karv Communications, a New York PR company, were still active — until now.
Reuters noted that all parties made the same public statement: the lawsuits have been resolved, but no one admits guilt. Azima said he felt happy and vindicated by the outcome, but didn’t share what really led to the settlement.
Interestingly, this case gained attention after Reuters investigated how hackers, especially from India, were being used to steal emails and secretly influence court cases. Azima used this information to argue that Dechert and others were involved in leaking his emails to hurt him in court. That leak had helped get him convicted of fraud in a London court in 2020.
Thanks to that same Reuters investigation, Azima was later able to overturn that ruling in the UK.
Another twist? One of the men Azima accused, Forlit, is currently trying to avoid being sent to the U.S. to face other cybercrime charges — although he says he’s innocent.
In short, this story from Reuters shows how big companies and powerful people can get caught up in dark strategies like hacking and spying — all to win legal battles. And even when the cases are resolved, the full truth may never be revealed.
Credit: Reuters – for investigating and reporting how hackers were secretly used to sway legal cases, which helped bring this entire story to light.