Case Law
I. World War II-Era/Holocaust Related Art Loss
U.S. and international civil and criminal cases relating to art believed to be looted or otherwise misappropriated during and after World War II.
Relevant Statutes
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California Statute - Civil Procedure Code § 354.3, Action to recover Holocaust-era artwork
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Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 ("HEAR Act"), 22 U.S.C. § 1621
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Holocaust Victims Redress Act ("HVRA"), Pub. L. No. 105-158, 112 Stat. 15 (1998)
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Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1602-1607, Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act ("FSIA")
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Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017
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Louisiana Civil Code, Arts. 3489-91, Acquisitive Prescription
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National Stolen Property Act ("NSPA"), 18 U.S.C. § 2314, § 2315
Case Summaries
A . United States Civil Cases Relating to WWII-Era Art Loss
1. Litigated
- Adler v. Taylor
- Altmann v. Austria
- Bakalar v. Vavra & Fischer
- Bennigson v. Alsdorf; United States v. One Oil Painting Entitled “Femme En Blanc” By Pablo Picasso; Alsdorf v. Bennigson
- Berg v. The Netherlands & Dutch Museums
- Cassirer & Bennigson v. Hahn
- Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
- Czartoryski-Borbon v. Turcotte
- Detroit Institute of Arts v. Ullin
- DeWeerth v. Baldinger
- Dunbar v. Seger-Thomschitz
- Emden v. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Frenk v. Solomon
- Goodman & Gutmann v. Searle
- Grosz v. Museum of Modern Art
- In re Peters
- In the Matter of Flamenbaum
- Joram Deutsch v. Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Kunstsammlungen zu Weimar v. Elicofon
- Menzel v. List
- Meyer v. University of Oklahoma
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston v. Seger-Thomschitz
- Orkin v. Swiss Confederation
- Price v. United States; Hoffman v. United States
- Reif v. Nagy
- Rosenberg v. Seattle Art Museum v. Knoedler-Modarco, Inc.
- Schoeps v. Bavaria (Bayern)
- Schoeps v. Museum of Modern Art
- Springfield Library v. Knoedler Archivum
- Toledo Museum of Art v. Ullin
- United States v. Meador (Quedlinburg)
- United States v. One Painting entitled “Winter”
- United States v. One Tintoretto Painting
- United States v. Portrait of Wally
- United States v. Six Paintings Seized from Paul Gorzocoski III d/b/a Northfield Auctions
- United States v. Vaccaro (Kunstsammlungen zu Weimar)
- University of Kassel v. Chatalbash
- Vineberg v. Bissonnette (Max Stern Estate)
- Von Saher v. Norton Simon Museum of Art
- Wach v. Byrne, Goldenberg & Hamilton, PLLC
- Warin v. Wildenstein
- Wertheimer v. Cirker’s Hayes Storage Warehouse Inc.
- Westfield v. Federal Republic of Germany
- Williams v. National Gallery of Art, London
- Zuckerman v. Metropolitan Museum of Art
2. Non-litigated/Out-of-Court Settlements
- Beck v. Horowitz
- Di Giuseppe Heirs' Claim Against Art Institute of Chicago for Mochi Bust
- Di Giuseppe Heirs' Claim Against Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Di Giuseppe Heirs' Claim Against Princeton University Art Museum
- Feldmann Heirs Recover Looted Old Master Drawing
- France Claim Against de Young Museum
- Hainisch Sisters' Claim Against North Carolina Museum of Art
- Halphen Claim Against Detroit Institute of Arts
- Hartog Heir's Claim Against Denver Museum of Art
- In re "Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin"
- In re Alterr, Inc., d/b/a Ashkenazie & Co. (Schloss Heirs' Claim against Ashkenazie)
- Jaffé Heirs' Claim Against Kimbell Art Museum
- Jorisch v. Lauder
- Kann Association Claim Against Menil Collection
- Kunstsammlungen zu Weimar (Weimar Museum) Claim Against Consignor to Sotheby's
- Newman Claim Against Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Silberberg Heir's Settlement with Art Institute of Chicago
- Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Claim Against Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Stern Heirs’ Claim Against National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)
- The Netherlands v. Ian Woodner
- Weinmann Heirs' Claim Against Yale University Art Gallery
3. Pending Cases/Claims
- Adler Heirs v. The Guggenheim
- Bloom v. Emden
- Chabad v. Russia
- De Csepel v. Hungary (Herzog heirs)
- Estate of Kainer v. UBS & Christie’s
- Gowen v. Nahmad Gallery
- Koenigs Heir's and The Netherlands' Claims Against Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Lehman Foundation, Inc. v. Zirkl / Bar v. Portrait of the Artist’s Wife
- Philipp v. Germany (Guelph Treasure)
- Poland and Ukraine Claims Against Twelve Museums for Lubomirski Dürers
- Reif v. The Art Institute of Chicago (Grunbaum Schieles)
- Schoeps v. Sompo Holdings, Inc. (Van Gogh Tokyo Sunflowers)
- Silver v. Metropolitan Museum of Art and Goulandris Foundation
B . International Civil and Criminal Cases/Claims Relating to WWII-Era Art Loss
1. Civil Decided
2. Out-of-Court /Non-litigated Settlements/Arbitrations
- Bamberger Heirs' Claim Against the Kunsthalle in Emden, Germany
- Feldmann Heirs' Claim Against the Courtauld Institute of Art
- Hess Heir's Claim Against Germany for Kirchner Painting
- Italy Claim Against Wadsworth Atheneum for Zucchi Painting
- Lissitzky v. Beyeler Foundation
- Rothschild Heirs' Claim Against Austria
C . United States Criminal Cases Relating to WWII-Era Art Loss