Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP obtained a favorable verdict in a defamation case in Virginia state court on behalf of Michael Hotung, the son of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman. The younger Mr. Hotung had sued his father Eric for making defamatory and insulting comments about him following a denial of paternity.
Despite the fact that the case centered on a dispute regarding statements made between two Hong Kong residents that were published in the Hong Kong press, the firm was successful in having the case heard before a Virginia state court. Following the trial, a jury returned a verdict in the case awarding Michael Hotung $1.2 million. The powerful Hotung family is well-known in China for its wealth and heritage.
