Vanessa Benichou

• Representation of Motorola Solutions Credit Company LLC in the recognition and enforcement in France of a US$2.3 billion New York fraud judgment against members of famous Turkish family, as well as in related €160 million and US$68 billion proceedings involving allegations of fraudulent enforcement measures and collusion with Turkish authorities.
• Representation of Google International LLC before the French courts in connection with the exequatur of a Russian judgment ordering payment of approximately €110 million and related proceedings seeking the enforcement and lifting of conservatory measures obtained by the liquidator of Google’s Russian subsidiary.
• Representation of the State-owned French Lottery company, FDJ United, in a €550 million Class Action dispute brought by 67 members of its distribution network concerning the termination of their contract.
• Representation of Enedis, a subsidiary of EDF and France’s largest electricity distribution network operator, in a €112 million product liability and contractual dispute against Itron France, subsidiary of Itron Inc., concerning allegedly defective smart electricity meters.
• Representation of ZEturf France Ltd, a horse race betting company, in a €123.2 million litigation brought by the Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), the dominant operator in the French horse racing market, alleging fraudulent practices and seeking injunctive relief.
• Representation of French major hairdresser network Provalliance Group in a cross-border commercial dispute against Olaplex, a leading US haircare company, arising from the abrupt termination of an exclusive distribution agreement and subsequent unfair competition practices.
• Representation of the Trustees of the Akram Ojjeh Trust in complex cross-border estate litigation involving claims exceeding €1 billion relating to the alleged concealment, valuation and distribution of Trust assets among beneficiaries.
• Representation of FDJ United in civil and criminal proceedings that could have jeopardize the entire distribution of its scratch-off games, in a dispute brought by a player alleging that the games amounted to fraud and cheating as well as misleading and unfair commercial practices.
• Representation of FDJ United, in a €367 million Class Action dispute brought by 106 former members of its distribution network regarding the performance of a 2003 contractual amendment.
• Representation of Hugo Boss France in commercial lease matters, including lease renewal negotiations for flagship locations and litigation relating to rent review, commercial lease valuation and construction defects.
• Representation of Deka Immobilien Investment Fund, in a real estate and post-acquisition dispute arising from alleged fraud and disclosure failures relating to the acquisition of the building housing Amazon France’s headquarters, involving nearly 20 parties.
• Representation of Strasbourg Electricité Réseau, a major regional electricity distribution network operator, in a dispute against Itron France concerning alleged defects affecting electricity meters and related warranty claims.
• Representation of LVMH in the context of numerous litigation and arbitration proceedings opposing the minority shareholders of the famous French wine yard Château d’Yquem, who wished to sell their stake to LVMH, and the majority shareholder, who refused to allow LVMH to acquire an equity interest in the company.
• Representation of the French Government before French courts and before the Indian Supreme Court in connection with the dismantling of the military aircraft carrier Clémenceau in India.
• Representation of La Française des Jeux (the French State Lottery company), before the Criminal Court of Paris in a case brought pursuant to a complaint by the producers of the hit French movie, “Les Choristes,” and the cinema industry, for conspiracy of piracy and trademark infringement because its advertising was available on peer-to-peer websites where the movie was offered for illegal downloading.
• Representation of a Lebanese company in an ICC Arbitration against the French company Sodexho International, regarding a wrongful termination of a joint venture.
• Representation of an international grain trading company, in a couple of arbitration proceedings before the International Arbitration Chamber of Paris, regarding the application and the interpretation of the provisions of an international trading contract.
• Representation of a leading digital music company in a cross-border copyright infringement dispute before U.S. courts involving allegations of large-scale unauthorised exploitation of sound recordings, including the coordination of French law and insurance coverage issues.
• Representation of a real estate developer in construction litigation against a general contractor concerning delays, construction defects and unresolved reservations relating to the development of a logistics facility.

Vanessa Benichou, Head of the Paris Litigation Department, focuses on Dispute Resolution in all its forms.

She helps clients resolve high-stakes disputes that threaten business objectives, key commercial relationships, and reputation. She develops practical, outcome-driven strategies to manage risk, preserve value, and achieve efficient resolutions through arbitration, complex litigation, mediation, and negotiated settlements. Her practice extends to cross-border matters, high-stakes commercial conflicts, post-award proceedings and enforcement.

With almost 30 years of experience, Vanessa represents clients in international commercial and construction arbitrations, as well as complex civil, commercial, and criminal proceedings. She also assists clients in resolving disputes through mediation and negotiated settlements and serves as a mediator.

Vanessa has extensive experience in post-arbitration proceedings, including challenges to arbitral awards and their recognition and enforcement. Her practice spans a broad range of commercial disputes, including corporate and shareholder matters, class actions, unfair competition, advertising and media disputes, intellectual property, commercial leases and contracts, construction, product liability, and distribution arrangements, particularly franchise and distribution networks.

She is fluent in French, English, and Hebrew and is proficient in Spanish.