NEW YORK (LN) — U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on Monday authorized limited third-party discovery against Bank of New York Mellon, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Citibank enforcement dispute between Ukraine and PAO Tatneft.
The order, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, permits Tatneft to seek information regarding accounts and assets belonging to Ukraine itself, excluding state-owned companies or other non-parties.
The discovery is restricted to assets located in the United States that are not used for military, diplomatic, or central banking purposes, as defined by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
Netburn noted that the authorization was made per the parties' agreement. The limitation to this first phase does not preclude Tatneft from seeking to enforce the full scope of its subpoenas at a later date if necessary.
The magistrate judge denied Tatneft's request to include four additional entities phase of discovery without prejudice. Tatneft may renew its request for additional discovery after the parties complete the agreed-upon phase and if that initial discovery proves insufficient for Tatneft to satisfy its pending arbitral award judgment.
Until the first phase is completed, Tatneft remains precluded from issuing any additional third-party subpoenas absent leave of the court. Response deadlines for pending third-party subpoenas not included phase are adjourned until further instruction.
The parties are ordered to submit a joint letter updating the court on the status of the first phase of discovery by June 5, 2026.