Cleary Gottlieb has obtained a highly favorable settlement agreement in favor of Danis Zaripov, an elite Russian professional ice hockey player, three-time winner of the IIHF World Championship with the Russian national team and four-time winner of the Kontinental Hockey League’s Gagarin Cup.
The settlement agreement resolves Danis’ appeal of the two-year ineligibility period imposed by the IIHF Disciplinary Board in July 2017, and it permits him to promptly resume playing professional ice hockey.
On November 21, 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued a consent award approving the settlement agreement between the IIHF and Danis, reducing the previously imposed ineligibility period to six months, ending on November 23, 2017.
The consent award issued by CAS embodies the parties’ settlement agreement and, based upon extensive documentary and expert evidence that was unavailable to the IIHF Disciplinary Board when it rendered its prior decision, confirms, inter alia, that (i) Danis did not engage in intentional doping and had no intention to cheat; and (ii) the source of the substance that was the subject of the challenged IIHF Disciplinary Board decision was a contaminated product. Accordingly, the consent award provides that the July 2017 decision of the IIHF Disciplinary Board shall be set aside and that pursuant to the parties’ settlement agreement Danis is cleared to participate in all competitions or activities authorized or organized by the IIHF or any IIHF Member National Association as of November 23, 2017.
In addition, earlier this year, on August 28, 2017, the National Hockey League (NHL), after a thorough review of the circumstances and meeting with Danis and his representatives, declared him immediately eligible to play in the NHL. Cleary also represented Danis in that successful application.