Democratic National Committee v. The Russian Federation et al

Filing 208

MEMORANDUM OF LAW in Support re: #206 MOTION to Dismiss First Amended Complaint. . Document filed by WikiLeaks. (Dratel, Joshua)

Case 1:18-cv-03501-JGK Document 208 Filed 12/07/18 Page 1 of 33

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
--------------------------------------------------------X
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE, :
Plaintiff,

:

- against -

:

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, et al.,

18 Civ. 3501 (JGK)

:

Defendants.
:
--------------------------------------------------------X

MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT WIKILEAKS’S
PRE-TRIAL MOTION TO DISMISS THE FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT

Joshua L. Dratel
JOSHUA L. DRATEL, P.C.
29 Broadway, Suite 1412
New York, New York 10006
(212) 732 - 0707
[e-mail]
Attorney for Defendant WikiLeaks

Case 1:18-cv-03501-JGK Document 208 Filed 12/07/18 Page 2 of 33

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Table of Authorities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Statement of the Facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ARGUMENT
POINT I
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
BECAUSE THEY ARE FORECLOSED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
POINT II
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
BECAUSE WIKILEAKS, AS A USER OR PROVIDER OF AN
INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICE, IS IMMUNE FROM
CIVIL LIABILITY PURSUANT TO 47 U.S.C. §230. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
POINT III
THE RICO AND RICO CONSPIRACY CLAIMS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO PLEAD CERTAIN
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A CIVIL RICO VIOLATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
A.

WikiLeaks Did Not Manage the Affairs of the Alleged RICO Enterprise. . . . . . . 13

B.

The FAC Fails to Plead a Pattern of Racketeering Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

POINT IV
THE CLAIM PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §2511 SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE THE FAC DOES NOT ALLEGE ANY
CONTEMPORANEOUS INTERCEPTION OF PLAINTIFF’S
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

i

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POINT V
THE CLAIM PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §1836 SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE IT FAILS TO IDENTIFY ANY
ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE BY WIKILEAKS, AND/OR
A TRADE SECRET THAT WAS ALLEGEDLY STOLEN,
AND BECAUSE §1836 DOES NOT INCLUDE A PRIVATE
ACTION FOR CONSPIRACY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
POINT VI
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
POINT VII
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE VENUE IS NOT PROPER IN
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
POINT VIII
THE PENDENT STATE CLAIMS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
PURSUANT TO THE ABSTENTION DOCTRINE AND
BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO STATE A CLAIM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
POINT IX
WIKILEAKS JOINS IN THE OTHER DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS
AND THE JOINT DEFENSE BRIEF TO DISMISS TO THE
EXTENT THEY INURE TO WIKILEAKS’ BENEFIT.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

ii

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
CASES
Affiliated FM Ins. Co. v. Kuehne + Nagel, Inc., 328 F. Supp. 3d 329 (S.D.N.Y. 2018).. . . . 19, 23
Almeida v. Amazon.com, 456 F.3d 1316 (11th Cir. 2006).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Amalgamated Bank of New York v. Marsh, 823 F. Supp. 209 (S.D.N.Y. 1993). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Ascentive, LLC v. Opinion Corp., 842 F. Supp.2d 450 (E.D.N.Y. 2011). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Atl. Recording Corp. v. Project Playlist, Inc., 603 F. Supp. 2d 690 (S.D.N.Y. 2009). . . . . . . . . 11
Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514 (2001). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 17
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 21
Blatzel v. Smith, 333 F.3d 1018 (9th Cir. 2003). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Blumenthal v. Drudge, 992 F.Supp. 44 (D.D.C. 1998). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. v. Water Cleaning Services LLC,
2012 WL 2133589 (S.D. Tex. June 12, 2012). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chloe v. Queen Bee of Beverly Hills, LLC, 616 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2010). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Cockrum v. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., 319 F. Supp. 3d 158 (D.D.C. 2018). . . . . 20, 22
Cold Spring Harbor Lab. v. Ropes & Gray LLP,
762 F. Supp. 2d 543 (E.D.N.Y. 2011). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 24
Daniel v. Am. Bd. of Emergency Med., 428 F.3d 408 (2d Cir. 2005). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Elsevier Inc. v. Doctor Evidence, LLC, 2018 WL 557906 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 23, 2018). . . . . . . . . . 18
Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Schneiderman, 316 F. Supp. 3d 679 (S.D.N.Y. 2018). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
D. Penguin Bros. v. City Nat. Bank, 587 F. App'x 663 (2d Cir. 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117 (2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
iii

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Fair Hous. Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roommates.Com, LLC,
521 F.3d 1157 (9th Cir. 2008) (en banc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fed. Trade Comm'n v. LeadClick Media, LLC, 838 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2016).. . . . . . . . . 10, 11, 12
Florida Star v. B.J.F., 491 U.S. 524 (1989). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
GTE New Media Serv., Inc. v. BellSouth Corp., 199 F.3d 1343 (D.C. Cir. 2000). . . . . . . . . 21, 23
Gulf Ins. Co. v. Glasbrenner, 417 F.3d 353 (E.D.N.Y. 2011).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Hayden v. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison,
955 F. Supp. 248 (S.D.N.Y. 1997).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14
Hourani v. Psybersolutions LLC, 164 F. Supp.3d 128, 139 (D.D.C. 2016),
aff’d, 690 F. App’x 1 (D.C. Cir. 2017). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Int’l Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310(1945). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Jacobs v. Felix Block Erben Verlag fur Buhne Film und Funk KG,
160 F. Supp. 2d 722 (S.D.N.Y. 2001) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Jane Doe No. 1 v. Backpage.com, LLC, 817 F.3d 12 (1st Cir. 2016). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Jones v. Dirty World Entm't Recordings LLC, 755 F.3d 398 (6th Cir 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Matera v. Native Eyewear, Inc., 355 F. Supp. 680 (E.D.N.Y. 2004). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mattel, Inc. v. MGA Entm’t, Inc., 2010 WL 11463911 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 3, 2010). . . . . . . . . . . 18
Millennium Prod. Grp., LLC. v. World Class Freight, Inc.,
2018 WL 1247384 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2018).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 20, 21
Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214 (1966). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Morrison v. Nat'l Australia Bank Ltd., 561 U.S. 247 (2010).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
PI, Inc. v. Quality Prods., Inc., 907 F. Supp. 753 (S.D.N.Y. 1995). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Pure Power Boot Camp v. Warrior Fitness Boot Camp,
587 F. Supp.2d 548 (S.D.N.Y. 2008).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

iv

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Ricci v. Teamsters Union Local 456, 781 F.3d 25 (2d Cir. 2015).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
RJR Nabisco v. European Community, ___U.S. ___ , 136 S. Ct. 2090 (2016). . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 19
Rosenson v. Mordowitz, 2012 WL 3631308 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2012). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Sonera Holding B.V. v. Cukurova Holding A.S., 750 F.3d 221 (2d Cir. 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Swizz Style, Inc.,
246 F. Supp. 3d 880 (S.D.N.Y. 2017). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Steves and Sons, Inc. v. Jeld-Wen, Inc., 271 F.Supp.3d 835 (E.D.Va. 2017). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
United States v. Netyshko, 18 Cr. 215 (ABJ) (D.D.C.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 17
Walden v. Fiore, 571 U.S. 277 (2014).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23
Westchester Cty. Indep. Party v. Astorino, 137 F. Supp.3d 586 (S.D.N.Y. 2015). . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Wescott v. Reisner, 2018 WL 2463614 (N.D. Cal. June 1, 2018). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Whitaker v. Am. Telecasting, Inc., 261 F.3d 196 (2d Cir. 2001). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Zeran v. America Online, Inc., 129 F.3d 327 (4th Cir. 1997). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

STATUTES
U.S. Const. Amend. I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 3, 5, 6, 10
U.S. Const. Amend. XIV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
18 U.S.C. § 1831. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 17
18 U.S.C. § 1831(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
18 U.S.C. § 1832. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 17, 18
18 U.S.C. § 1832(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
18 U.S.C. § 1836. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 17, 18
18 U.S.C. § 1837. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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18 U.S.C. § 1839(a)(3)(A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
18 U.S.C. § 1839(a)(3)(B). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
18 U.S.C. § 1962. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
18 U.S.C. § 1965(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
18 U.S.C. § 2511. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 4, 16, 17
18 U.S.C. § 2511(1)(c).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
18 U.S.C. § 2511(1)(d). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 17
28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
47 U.S.C. § 230 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 10, 11, 12
47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
47 U.S.C. § 230(f)(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
47 U.S.C. § 230(f)(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
NY CPLR § 302.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 20, 21, 23

vi

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Introduction
This Memorandum of Law is submitted on behalf of defendant WikiLeaks in support of
its Motion to Dismiss. WikiLeaks also joins in the joint Memorandum of Law filed today on
behalf of all defendants (“Defendants’ Joint Memo”). This lawsuit against WikiLeaks constitutes
an existential threat to the fundamental First Amendment right – foreshadowed by Andrew
Hamilton in defending John Peter Zenger in the latter’s historic 1735 trial that served as an
inspiration for the Amendment – of “speaking and writing truth.”1 Even though The New York
Times’s executive editor has stated his newspaper had an “obligation to report” the materials at
issue in this suit, and a wide range and number of media organizations published them as well,
only WikiLeaks – rather than the industry’s influential financial titans – has been singled out for
publishing truthful information that is unquestionably of public interest.
Even the prospect of liability at all, much less RICO treble damages, for publication of
truthful information of public interest would have a devastating chilling effect on the press’s
exercise of constitutionally protected speech. It would quickly drive independent and less
financially secure media organizations – and ultimately even the titans – as well as individual
journalists at every level everywhere, from reporting and publishing altogether. All that would
remain would be a shell of the First Amendment practiced by a cowed and self-censoring media,
intimidated by the fear of lawsuits designed to deprive the public of its right to information about
powerful public figures and entities.
As detailed below, the First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) against WikiLeaks should be

1

See <https://www.famous-trials.com/legacyftrials/zenger/chronology.html>;
<https://www.nps.gov/feha/learn/historyculture/the-trial-of-john-peter-zenger.htm>.
1

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dismissed for several reasons:
(1)

imposing liability on WikiLeaks for the conduct alleged against it in the FAC
would violate the First Amendment;

(2)

as a “user or provider of an interactive computer service,” WikiLeaks is immune
from civil liability pursuant to 47 U.S.C. §230;

(3)

the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) causes of
action are deficient because they fail to allege sufficiently with respect to
WikiLeaks several elements of a RICO violation, including (a) a RICO enterprise,
and/or WikiLeaks’ operation or management of its affairs; (b) a pattern of
racketeering activity, including the requisite predicate acts; (c) cognizable injury
to plaintiff’s business or property; and (d) a RICO conspiracy;

(4)

the cause of action pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §2511 fails because the statute punishes
only contemporaneous interception of communications, which is not alleged (and
did not occur) here;

(5)

the cause of action pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1836 fails because (a) it does not allege
theft of a cognizable trade secret; (b) §1836 does not include conspiratorial or
aiding and abetting liability; and (c) §1836 does not apply extraterritorially to the
conduct alleged against WikiLeaks;

(6)

personal jurisdiction over WikiLeaks is lacking;

(7)

venue is not proper in the Southern District of New York; and

(8)

any pendent state law claims should be dismissed pursuant to the abstention
doctrine, and because they fail to state a claim.
Statement of the Facts

A Statement of Facts is included in Defendants’ Joint Memo. Any additional facts
relevant to WikiLeaks are incorporated in the points set forth below. The FAC names WikiLeaks
as a defendant in five causes of action: RICO (Count II); RICO Conspiracy (III); illegal
wiretapping (IV); theft of trade secrets (VII); Washington, D.C. Uniform Trade Act (VIII);
Virginia Common Law Trespass (XII); and Virginia Computer Crimes Act (XIV).

2

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ARGUMENT
POINT I
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
BECAUSE THEY ARE FORECLOSED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT
The FAC against WikiLeaks should be dismissed in its entirety because WikiLeaks’s
conduct – publishing truthful information of public concern as a media organization – is
protected by the First Amendment. Indeed, in Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514 (2001), the
Court reaffirmed that the issues in that case “implicate[d] the core purposes of the First
Amendment because it imposes sanctions on the publication of truthful information of public
concern.” Id., at 533-34.
Defendants’ Joint Memo discusses both Bartnicki and the First Amendment principles at
stake herein, which apply with particular emphasis to WikiLeaks, a media organization and
publisher that indisputably meets all three criteria set forth in Bartnicki.2 In fact, the FAC does
not allege (1) that WikiLeaks had any advanced knowledge of the alleged intrusion into
Plaintiff’s servers or computers; (2) that WikiLeaks participated in any way in that intrusion;

2

In an action in the United Kingdom (seeking records), the Court ruled last year that
“WikiLeaks is a media organization which publishes and comments upon censored or restricted
official materials involving war, surveillance or corruption, which are leaked to it in a variety of
different circumstances.” Maurizi v. The Information Commissioner, et al., Appeal No:
EA/2017/0041, General Regulatory Chamber, 12 December 2017, at ¶ 28, available at
<https://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2017/12/14/news/london_tribunal_dismisses_la_repubblica_s_
appeal_to_access_the_full_file_of_julian_assange-184083942/?ref=RHRS-BH-I0-C6-P3-S1.6-T
2>. WikiLeaks has won numerous journalism awards from around the world, including The
Economist New Media Award (2008), the Amnesty New Media Award (2009) and the peak
journalism award in Australia (the Australian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in the US), and the
Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (2011).
3

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and/or (3) that WikiLeaks made any other use of the materials beyond publishing them.3
Indeed, the facts in Bartnicki present some striking similarities to those here. For
example, in Bartnicki the subject matter of the published information was about a union contract
negotiation that, like the 2016 Democratic primary process and general election, was
“‘contentious’” and received “a lot of media attention.” Id., at 518. Also, the respondent in
Bartnicki, a radio commentator, had been critical of the union whose officials had been recorded
on the tape at issue. Id., at 519.4 In addition, Bartnicki involved a claim made pursuant to 18
U.S.C. §2511, which is the basis for a claim herein as well. See post, at POINT IV.
Here, in addition to lacking any allegation of WikiLeaks’s knowledge or involvement
until well after the alleged intrusion, the FAC, at ¶¶146-48, alleges that (a) WikiLeaks was not
even the first or exclusive vehicle for release of the materials at issue, as DCLeaks and Guccifer

3

In Bartnicki, the Court listed from the government’s Brief violations of §2511(1)(d)
that would, in the Solicitor General’s opinion, fall outside the First Amendment – none of which
exist in this case with respect to WikiLeaks:
it is unlawful for a company to use an illegally intercepted
communication about a business rival in order to create a
competing product; it is unlawful for an investor to use illegally
intercepted communications in trading in securities; it is unlawful
for a union to use an illegally intercepted communication about
management (or vice versa) to prepare strategy for contract
negotiations; it is unlawful for a supervisor to use information in an
illegally recorded conversation to discipline a subordinate; and it is
unlawful for a blackmailer to use an illegally intercepted
communication for purposes of extortion.
532 U.S. at 527 n. 10, citing Brief for United States, at 24 (other citations omitted).
4

See also Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214, 219 (1966) (state law punishing an editor for
publishing newspaper editorial urging people to vote a particular way violated freedom of the
press because “providing criminal penalties for publishing editorials such as the one here silences
the press at a time when it can be most effective”).
4

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2.0 made the initial releases (in part through other outlets such as WordPress); (b) WikiLeaks
published the materials, as did other journalistic entities, sometime after an open solicitation by
Guccifer 2.0; and (c) the alleged transmittal of the materials to WikiLeaks experienced technical
problems, which at most would demonstrate the arms-length nature of the relationship.
The July 2018 Indictment in United States v. Netyksho, 18 Cr. 215 (ABJ) (D.D.C.) (ECF
Dkt #1) (“Netyksho”) also places WikiLeaks firmly in a journalistic role. At ¶7, the Indictment
alleges that “[t]he Conspirators also used the Guccifer 2.0 persona to release additional stolen
documents through a website maintained by an organization (“Organization 1”), that had
previously posted documents stolen from U.S. persons, entities, and the U.S. government.” It is
noteworthy that the Indictment, reflecting the unparalleled investigative arsenal of a federal grand
jury, did not characterize WikiLeaks (“Organization 1”) as a co-conspirator, or attribute to it any
wrongdoing.5 Similarly, the chronology traced in ¶¶35-38, 43-49 (the latter entitled “Use of
Organization 1”) of Netyksho alleges that WikiLeaks was not involved until well after the alleged
intrusion, was not the initial publisher of the materials allegedly obtained from the DNC, and,
like other journalists, allegedly responded to a mass solicitation by Guccifer 2.0.
Thus, the FAC alleges merely that WikiLeaks was the recipient of some of the materials,
and that it published some of them, activity protected by the First Amendment. As the Court in
Bartnicki noted, while “delivery of a tape recording might be regarded as conduct, [] given that
the purpose of such a delivery is to provide the recipient with the text of recorded statements, it is
like the delivery of a handbill or a pamphlet, and as such, it is the kind of ‘speech’ that the First

5

The FAC alleges, at ¶99, that an FBI investigation was already underway by May 2016,
yet WikiLeaks was not charged in Netyksho or deemed a co-conspirator.
5

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Amendment protects.” 532 U.S. at 527. Quoting the Third Circuit decision below, the Court
added that “‘[i]f the acts of ‘disclosing’ and ‘publishing’ information do not constitute speech, it
is hard to imagine what does fall within that category, as distinct from the category of expressive
conduct.’” Id., at 527, quoting 200 F.3d 109, 120 (3d Cir. 1999).6
Nor does it matter whether, as alleged in the FAC, WikiLeaks or Julian Assange harbored
a point of view, as according to a former Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama in the
White House Counsel’s Office, a publisher “certainly would enjoy First Amendment protection
to make editorial choices designed to hurt one candidate.”7 Thus, as in Bartnicki, see ante, at
POINT I, advocacy does not deprive a journalist of First Amendment protection. Nor is political
orientation, or personal or professional popularity, a measure of First Amendment protection.8
In fact, soliciting leaks (both from insiders and hacked content) is a common practice in
journalism today. At least 40 different organizations accept documents via the anonymous
submission platform SecureDrop, including major media organizations such as the Associated

6

See also Andy Wright, “The DNC Lawsuit and First Amendment Sensitivities,” Just
Security, May 2, 2018, available at <https://www.justsecurity.org/55563/dnc-lawsuitamendment-sensitivities/> (“Andy Wright”) (“[a]fter the fact knowledge of the illegal
provenance of the email is analogous to what reporters get with leaked documents in other
contexts”). Andy Wright served as Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama in the White
House Counsel’s Office.
7

Andy Wright. See also id. (“the First Amendment would shield a publisher, including
one of contested motives and affiliations like WikiLeaks, from liability for publishing truthful,
but stolen or improperly disclosed, material that was handed to that publisher on a silver
platter”).
8

See also Jack Goldsmith, “The WikiLeaks-ization of the American Media,” The Weekly
Standard, May 14, 2018 (“Goldsmith”), available at <https://www.weeklystandard.com/jackgoldsmith/trump-leaks-the-new-york-times-and-the-wikileaks-ization-of-the-american-media>.
6

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Press, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.9 As law Professor Steven Vladeck points
out, “Hollywood depictions to the contrary notwithstanding, most leaks don’t involve
uncoordinated dead-drops of materials into a journalist’s mailbox, but are rather the result of
careful relationship building and cultivation of sources.”10
Also, “[i]t is extremely common for media outlets to publish or report on materials that
are stolen, hacked, or otherwise obtained in violation of the law.”11 For example, “[i]n October
2016 – one month before the election – someone mailed a copy of Donald Trump’s 1995 tax
returns to the New York Times, which published parts of it even though it is illegal to disclose
someone’s tax returns without the taxpayer’s permission; in March 2017, MSNBC’s Rachel
Maddow did the same thing with Trump’s 2005 tax returns.” Id. Likewise, “[i]n April, 2016, the
Washington Post obtained and published a confidential internal memo from the Trump
campaign. Media outlets constantly publish private companies’ internal documents. . . .
BuzzFeed obtained and published a secret Facebook memo outlining the company’s internal
business strategies, the contents of which were covered by most major media outlets.” Id.
Moreover, “[i]n 2016, more than 100 newspapers from around the world published and

9

See <https://securedrop.org/directory/>; <https://www.nytimes.com/tips#securedrop>;
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/securedrop>. SecureDrop replicates the system WikiLeaks
invented to protect the confidentiality, even anonymity, of sources.
10

Ryan Goodman and Steve Vladeck, “Q & A: Why an Assange Prosecution Could Pose
Such a Threat to the Press,” Just Security, April 26, 2017, available at
<https://www.justsecurity.org/40281/qa-assange-prosecution-pose-threat-press/>.
11

Glenn Greenwald and Trevor Timm, “The DNC'S Lawsuit Against WikiLeaks Poses a
Serious Threat to Press Freedom,” The Intercept, April 20, 2018, available at
<https://theintercept.com/2018/04/20/the-dncs-lawsuit-against-wikileaks-poses-a-serious-threat-t
o-press-freedom/>.
7

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reported on millions of private financial documents known as the Panama Papers, which were
taken without authorization from one of the world’s biggest offshore law firms and revealed the
personal finances of people around the world.” Id. Appendix A hereto lists high-profile
unauthorized disclosures allegedly obtained by hacking that were published widely by media
organizations, including WikiLeaks, across the globe. See also Goldsmith (“[j]ournalists publish
stolen information all the time without worrying about the legality of the source’s method for
obtaining the information”). As Goldsmith points out, “such material is the lifeblood of
reporting, especially national security reporting.” Id.
The materials published by WikiLeaks were also reprinted by numerous media
organizations. Appendix B hereto lists a sampling of that coverage. Appendix C lists a sampling
of the coverage of the leaks allegedly provided by DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 to publishers;
Appendix D provides sites where the emails are currently cached on the internet. Also, in
addition to their substantive coverage of the emails, The New York Times and Washington Post
explored the ethical issues around covering the DNC emails, ultimately defending their coverage
notwithstanding the allegations that Russian intelligence was the source.12
Indeed, New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet answered that he would publish
hacked emails of public interest if they were delivered to the Times.13 Elaborating, and echoing
sentiments expressed by colleagues from other newspapers, Baquet stated, “I get the argument

12

See <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/business/media/russian-hacking-stolenemails.html>; <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/14/did-the-mediabecome-a-defacto-instrument-of-russian-intelligence>.
13

BBC Newsnight, Dec 15, 2016, available at
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCKpM_8WFko>.
8

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that the standards should be different if the stuff is stolen and that should influence the decision, .
. . But in the end, I think that we have an obligation to report what we can about important
people and important events. There’s just no question that the email exchanges inside the
Democratic Party were newsworthy.”14
Those who have spent their careers defending journalism’s role in free speech recognize
that liability for a media organization in WikiLeaks’s position – publishing documents provided
by whistle-blowers and others who possess them without authorization – would set an ominous
precedent that could not be contained. David McCraw, The New York Times’s Deputy General
Counsel, appearing on a panel in July 2018 at the Ninth Circuit’s Judicial Conference, stated he
“think[s] the prosecution of [Julian Assange] would be a very, very bad precedent for
publishers,” adding that “from everything I know, he’s sort of in a classic publisher’s position
and I think the law would have a very hard time drawing a distinction between The New York
Times and WikiLeaks.”15
Moreover, imposing liability upon WikiLeaks here would exert a chilling effect on
journalism and free speech, and deprive the public of an extraordinary amount of newsworthy
information. Avoiding that impact has been an important facet of Supreme Court First
Amendment doctrine. See, e.g., Bartnicki, 532 U.S. at 547 (acknowledging “the ‘timidity and

14

Sydney Ember, “Editors Defend Coverage of Stolen Emails After News of Russian
Hacks,” The New York Times, December 15, 201, available at
<https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/business/media/russian-hacking-stolen-emails.html>.
15

Maria Dinzeo, “Judges Hear Warning on Prosecution of WikiLeaks,” Courthouse
News, July 24, 2018 (“McCraw”), available at <https://www.courthousenews.com/judgeshear-warning-on-prosecution-of-wikileaks/>. See also Andy Wright (“First Amendment
precedent applied here to a platform like WikiLeaks could later serve as the basis of opinions
affecting the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, or the New York Times”).
9

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self-censorship’ which may result from allowing the media to be punished for publishing truthful
information”), quoting Florida Star v. B.J.F., 491 U.S. 524, 535 (1989) (other citation omitted).
The First Amendment issues are vitally important, and the law is clear and categorical:
even viewing the FAC’s allegations in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff, WikiLeaks’s
alleged conduct – in essence, what Mr. McCraw describes as, “committing an act of
journalism[,]” – has been protected historically by the First Amendment, and continues to receive
such protection today. Accordingly, the FAC must be dismissed against Wikileaks.
POINT II
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE WIKILEAKS, AS A USER OR
PROVIDER OF AN INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICE, IS
IMMUNE FROM CIVIL LIABILITY PURSUANT TO 47 U.S.C. §230
All of Plaintiff’s claims against WikiLeaks should be dismissed because WikiLeaks is
immune from civil liability pursuant to 47 U.S.C. §230, which provides that “[n]o provider or
user of an interactive computer service16 shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any
information provided by another information content provider.”17 47 U.S.C. §230(c)(1).
In Fed. Trade Comm'n v. LeadClick Media, LLC, 838 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2016), the
Second Circuit emphasized that “[a]t its core, §230 bars ‘lawsuits seeking to hold a service

16

An interactive computer service is defined as “any information service, system, or
access software provider that provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a
computer server, including specifically a service or system that provides access to the Internet
and such systems operated or services offered by libraries or educational institutions.” 47 U.S.C.
§230(f)(2).
17

An information content provider is defined as “any person or entity that is responsible,
in whole or in part, for the creation or development of information provided through the Internet
or any other interactive computer service.” 47 U.S.C. §230(f)(3).
10

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provider liable for its exercise of a publisher’s traditional editorial functions – such as deciding
whether to publish, withdraw, postpone or alter content.’” 838 F.3d at 174, quoting Jones v.
Dirty World Entm't Recordings LLC, 755 F.3d 398, 407 (6th Cir 2014). See also Ricci v.
Teamsters Union Local 456, 781 F.3d 25, 28 (2d Cir. 2015) (§230 provides that a plaintiff
defamed on the internet “typically cannot sue the messenger”) (internal quotations omitted).
In order to qualify for §230’s immunity, a defendant need merely demonstrate that it
provides or uses an interactive computer service, and that the information contained thereon was
provided by a third-party for use on the Internet or other interactive computer service. Blatzel v.
Smith, 333 F.3d 1018, 1030-35 (9th Cir. 2003). In general, “[c]ourts . . . conclude that a website
falls within this definition.” Ascentive, LLC v. Opinion Corp., 842 F. Supp.2d 450, 473
(E.D.N.Y. 2011) (citing cases).
In LeadClick, the Court noted it has “had limited opportunity to interpret Section 230[,]”
but pointed out that “[o]ther circuits, however, have recognized that Section 230 immunity is
broad.” Id., at 173, citing Jones, 755 F.3d at 406-07 (“close cases . . . must be resolved in favor
of immunity”) (quoting Fair Hous. Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roommates.Com, LLC,
521 F.3d 1157, 1174 (9th Cir. 2008) (en banc))); Almeida v. Amazon.com, 456 F.3d 1316, 1321
(11th Cir. 2006) (“[t]he majority of federal circuits have interpreted the CDA to establish broad
federal immunity to any cause of action that would make service providers liable for information
originating with a third-party user of the service”) (internal quotation marks omitted)); id. at n.3
(collecting cases). See also Atl. Recording Corp. v. Project Playlist, Inc., 603 F. Supp. 2d 690,
699-700 (S.D.N.Y. 2009).
In LeadClick, the Court explained that the statute “shields conduct if the defendant (1) ‘is
11

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a provider or user of an interactive computer service, (2) the claim is based on information
provided by another information content provider and (3) the claim would treat [the defendant]
as the publisher or speaker of that information.’” 838 F.3d at 173, quoting Jane Doe No. 1 v.
Backpage.com, LLC, 817 F.3d 12, 19 (1st Cir. 2016); see also Zeran v. America Online, Inc.,
129 F.3d 327, 330 (4th Cir. 1997). Moreover, such immunity is absolute. See Blumenthal v.
Drudge, 992 F.Supp. 44, 49 (D.D.C. 1998).
Here, WikiLeaks, which, according to the FAC, served as the website that posted content
provided by others – the same as posted on Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress – easily satisfies
the standards for §230 immunity, requiring dismissal of the FAC against WikiLeaks.18
POINT III
THE RICO AND RICO CONSPIRACY CLAIMS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO PLEAD CERTAIN
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A CIVIL RICO VIOLATION
The RICO claims (II and III) against WikiLeaks should be dismissed because, as detailed
below, they fail to state a claim with respect to several elements of a viable civil RICO action.
WikiLeaks also adopts the discussion of the general principles of civil RICO pleading included
within Defendants’ Joint Memo.
Also, the RICO issues herein bear a strong resemblance to those in Westchester Cty.
Indep. Party v. Astorino, 137 F. Supp.3d 586 (S.D.N.Y. 2015), a civil RICO action that was

18

Also, the context of this case fits squarely within the purposes of §230. As the preamble
to §230 declares, at (a)(3), “[t]he Internet and other interactive computer services offer a forum
for a true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for cultural development, and
myriad avenues for intellectual activity.” (Emphasis added). See also id., at (a)(5)
(“[i]ncreasingly Americans are relying on interactive media for a variety of political, educational,
cultural, and entertainment services”) (emphasis added).
12

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dismissed, and in which the plaintiffs therein alleged “a scheme to raid the Independence Party in
anticipation of the September 2013 primary election in order to ensure that [the Republican
candidate] would win the Independence Party nomination for County Executive, whereby more
than 4,000 people who were not truly in sympathy with the principles of the Independence Party
enrolled in the Party ‘at the midnight hour’ in order to vote in the primary[.]” Id., at 594. The
Complaint in Astorino further alleged that “one purpose of the scheme was rigging the outcome
of the Independence Party's Primary Election” as well as that “certain Defendants’ goals were to
rig the primary and/or the general election, and future elections.” Id., at 594-95.
A.

WikiLeaks Did Not Manage the Affairs of the Alleged RICO Enterprise
As discussed in Defendants’ Joint Memo, in Reves v. Ernst & Young, 507 U.S. 170

(1993), the Supreme Court set forth the “operation or management” test for determining civil
RICO liability. Id., at 179. Here, the FAC does not allege – nor is there any evidence – that
WikiLeaks played any role in “directing” the affairs of either of the RICO enterprises alleged.
There is not any basis for alleging that WikiLeaks “operated or managed” the Trump Campaign,
see FAC, at ¶¶222-26, or the “association-in-fact” enterprise alleged, id., at ¶¶227-30, or that it
directed the affairs of either. Indeed, it would have been impossible for WikiLeaks to “conduct
the affairs” of either enterprise “through a pattern of racketeering activity” when the only activity
alleged to constitute that “pattern” occurred before WikiLeaks was even allegedly involved at all.
In analogous contexts, those who provide outside services – akin to WikiLeaks’s alleged
role as a subsequent (and even secondary to earlier releases by DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0)
publisher of the emails – do not meet the “operation or management” criteria. For example, in
Hayden v. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, 955 F. Supp. 248 (S.D.N.Y. 1997),
13

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applying the Reves test to the conduct of an accounting firm, the Court noted that “it is well
established that the provision of professional services by outsiders, such as accountants, to a
racketeering enterprise, is insufficient to satisfy the participation requirement of RICO, since
participation requires some part in directing the affairs of the enterprise itself.” Id., at 254. See
also Amalgamated Bank of New York v. Marsh, 823 F. Supp. 209, 220 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) (bank
teller who retained bank check proceeds not liable under RICO because there was no indication
teller “actually directed anyone, as is required by the ‘operation or management’ test”).
Moreover, here, as in Rosenson v. Mordowitz, No. 11-CV-6145, 2012 WL 3631308, at
*7 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2012), “[t]here is nothing about the use of the particular resources alleged
that is crucial to the pattern of racketeering activities, nor is there any special connection between
the enterprise and the resources.” Id., at *7. Indeed, the allegations of the publication of emails by
other outlets, including DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 (on WordPress), see FAC, at ¶144, as well as
Guccifer 2.0’s solicitations to and communications with other journalists, see Netyksho
Indictment, at ¶45, dispositively reinforces that conclusion with respect to WikiLeaks. Nor, as
detailed in Defendants’ Joint Memo, can the FAC make out a claim of aiding and abetting
liability, see FAC, at ¶235, because that is not recognized under civil RICO.
Moreover, the “association-in-fact” enterprise alleged in ¶244 of the FAC does not meet
the standards for a RICO enterprise, which, according to the Second Circuit, “‘is proved by
evidence of an ongoing organization, formal or informal, and by evidence that the various
associates function as a continuing unit.’” D. Penguin Bros. v. City Nat. Bank, 587 F. App'x 663,
667–68 (2d Cir. 2014). Here, there is neither allegation nor proof that the alleged enterprise
“function[ed] as a continuing unit.”
14

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B.

The FAC Fails to Plead a Pattern of Racketeering Activity
The FAC also fails to plead the requisite “pattern of racketeering activity.” As a threshold

matter, merely listing statutes – 18 U.S.C. §§1831 & 1832 – that allegedly constitute predicate
acts – see FAC, at ¶ 231 – without describing precisely the specific conduct underlying each
alleged predicate act supposedly committed by WikiLeaks, is not sufficient.
Nor does the FAC even allege against WikiLeaks all essential elements of either §1831 or
§1832. For example, §1831(a) requires that a defendant, “intending or knowing that the offense
will benefit any foreign government, foreign instrumentality, or foreign agent, knowingly”
performs any of a series of acts. Yet the FAC fails entirely to allege that WikiLeaks possessed
any knowledge or intent that any such conduct would “benefit any foreign government, foreign
instrumentality, or foreign agent[.]” In fact, the FAC alleges that WikiLeaks’s purpose,
purportedly in common with the other defendants, was “to bolster Trump’s campaign for
president, to injure the DNC, and to harm the Democratic party’s chances for success in the 2016
presidential election.” FAC, at ¶71. See also FAC, at ¶¶79, 294. Moreover, according to the
FAC, WikiLeaks’s motivation (to the extent it manifested any at all, as opposed to that attributed
to Julian Assange personally), was “harming Secretary Clinton’s candidacy and disrupting the
Democratic party’s chances of victory in the 2016 presidential election[]” because Mr. Assange
“publicly stated that his policy disagreements with Clinton would make her presidency far more
problematic than a Trump presidency.” Id., at ¶79 (footnotes omitted).19
19

That, of course, is not a quote from Mr. Assange, but instead the FAC’s distorted
interpretation of other statements attributed to Mr. Assange. In fact, in a July 2016 interview Mr.
Assange said “personally,” he “would prefer neither” presidential candidate. See “Assange: US
election is like choosing between ‘cholera or gonorrhea,’” Politico, July 27, 2016, available at
<https://www.politico.eu/article/us-election-is-like-choosing-between-cholera-or-gonorrhea/>.
15

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Regarding §1832, it defines a violation as conduct “with intent to convert a trade secret,
that is related to a product or service used in or intended for use in interstate or foreign
commerce, to the economic benefit of anyone other than the owner thereof, and intending or
knowing that the offense will, injure any owner of that trade secret, . . .” §1832(a) (emphasis
added). Again, the FAC is devoid of any allegation that WikiLeaks committed any §1832
violation with intent to provide any “economic benefit to anyone other than the owner thereof.”
Similarly, as discussed in more detail post, in POINT V, the FAC does not identify a
single trade secret WikiLeaks even possessed, much less is alleged to have published (and did
not publish), including computer code or other information. Thus, essential elements of each
statute are absent. Also, as set forth in Defendants’ Joint Memo, the alleged “pattern” does not
possess the necessary “continuity” – either “closed-ended” or “open-ended.”
The “pattern” is also deficient with respect to WikiLeaks because all of the conduct
alleged against WikiLeaks was extraterritorial. In RJR Nabisco v. European Community, ___
U.S. ___, 136 S. Ct. 2090 (2016), the Supreme Court determined that “[a] violation of §1962
may be based on a pattern of racketeering that includes predicate offenses committed abroad,
provided that each of those offenses violates a predicate statute that is itself extraterritorial.” Id.,
at 2103. Here, as detailed post, in POINT Vat page 18, the alleged predicate acts do not have
extraterritorial application to WikiLeaks in this case. In addition, as set forth in the Defendants’
Joint Memo, the FAC fails as well for several reasons to (1) identify a cognizable RICO injury;
and/or (2) plead a RICO conspiracy.
POINT IV
THE CLAIM PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §2511 SHOULD
16

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BE DISMISSED BECAUSE THE FAC DOES NOT
ALLEGE ANY CONTEMPORANEOUS INTERCEPTION
OF PLAINTIFF’S ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Claim IV made pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §2511 must be dismissed because, as detailed in
Defendants’ Joint Memo, it does not state a claim due to its lack of an allegation or evidence of a
contemporaneous interception,20 and not removal of documents or information from a storage
device (such as a server). That deficiency precludes liability under either the “use” or
“disclosure” provisions of §§2511(1)(c) and (d). See, e.g., Pure Power Boot Camp v. Warrior
Fitness Boot Camp, 587 F. Supp.2d 548, 556-58 (S.D.N.Y. 2008).21
POINT V
THE CLAIM PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §1836 SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE IT FAILS TO IDENTIFY ANY
ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE BY WIKILEAKS, AND/OR A TRADE
SECRET THAT WAS ALLEGEDLY STOLEN, AND BECAUSE
§1836 DOES NOT INCLUDE A PRIVATE ACTION FOR CONSPIRACY
There are several reasons why the FAC’s claim against WikiLeaks pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
§ 1836 (Claim VII), which, pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”) creates a private
right of action for misappropriation of a trade secret, should be dismissed. Among those reasons
are those set forth in Defendants’ Joint Memo with respect to Washington, D.C.’s Uniform Trade
Secrets Act. In addition, as discussed ante, at page 15, to the extent §§1831 and 1832 define the
contours of the conduct covered by §1836, the FAC fails to allege essential elements against
WikiLeaks with respect to each statute.

20

Also, Netyksho, at ¶ 49, points out that the latest email published by WikiLeaks was
dated May 25, 2016, and not released until July 22, 2016.
21

The reasons in POINT I and POINT II also apply specifically to Claim IV – Bartnicki
itself involved a claim pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §2511.
17

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Also, trade secrets “are a narrow category of confidential information; to survive a motion
to dismiss, a party alleging that it owns a trade secret must put forth specific allegations as to the
information owned and its value.” Elsevier Inc. v. Doctor Evidence, LLC, 2018 WL 557906, at
*4 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 23, 2018). Pleading a DTSA claim consistent with the standards set forth in
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009),
requires that “before information or processes may be accorded trade secret status, it must be
shown that it is truly trade secret – a standard far greater than the standard for confidentiality of
business information.” Elsevier Inc., 2018 WL 557906, at *2 (“‘confidential information’ is not
equivalent to ‘trade secrets’”). Here, the FAC has not made such a showing.
Rather, trade secrets are “a narrow category of confidential information” (id.) constituting
“financial, business, scientific, technical, economic, or engineering information . . .” 18 U.S.C.
§1839(a)(3)(A)-(B). Again, there is not any allegation in the FAC that WikiLeaks published (or
even received) anything belonging to Plaintiff that would satisfy the definition of “trade secret.”
Moreover, the DTSA does not create an express or implied private right of action for
redress for conspiracy to engage in theft of trade secrets. Steves and Sons, Inc. v. Jeld-Wen, Inc.,
271 F.Supp.3d 835 (E.D.Va. 2017). By the same rationale – that civil remedies are not
commensurate with the bases for criminal liability, but are instead limited to the terms of the
statute (§1836) – aiding and abetting cannot be a basis for a private §1836 action, either.22
The doctrine of extraterritoriality also defeats the §1836 claim. While the DTSA does
22

It is also impossible that WikiLeaks could have either conspired to commit or “aided
and abetted” conduct that had already occurred well before the FAC alleges its involvement
commenced. See Mattel, Inc. v. MGA Entm’t, Inc., No. 04-cv-9049, 2010 WL 11463911, at *3
(C.D. Cal. Sept. 3, 2010) (“one logically cannot contemplate acts committed in furtherance of a
conspiracy into which he has not yet entered.”). See also FAC, at ¶308.
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expressly apply extraterritorially, see §1837, that section imposes extraterritorial liability only if
“(1) the offender is a natural person who is a citizen or permanent resident alien of the United
States, or an organization organized under the laws of the United States or a State or political
subdivision thereof; or (2) an act in furtherance of the offense was committed in the United
States.” Neither is present here with respect to WikiLeaks, as it is not organized under U.S. law,
and none of its conduct occurred in the U.S. Thus, the §1836 fails for that reason, too, because
“when a statute provides for some extraterritorial application, the presumption against
extraterritoriality operates to limit that provision to its terms.” RJR Nabisco, 136 S. Ct. at 2102,
citing Morrison v. Nat'l Australia Bank Ltd., 561 U.S. 247, 265 (2010).
POINT VI
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED FOR LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION
A “plaintiff bears the burden of establishing jurisdiction over the defendant.” Millennium
Prod. Grp., LLC. v. World Class Freight, Inc., 2018 WL 1247384, at *2–3 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 9,
2018). Also, “[p]ersonal jurisdiction of a federal court over a non-resident defendant is governed
by the law of the state in which the court sits – subject, of course, to certain constitutional
limitations of due process.” Affiliated FM Ins. Co. v. Kuehne+Nagel, Inc., 328 F. Supp. 3d 329,
333 (S.D.N.Y. 2018); see also Chloe v. Queen Bee of Beverly Hills, LLC, 616 F.3d 158, 163 (2d
Cir. 2010).
New York State’s “long-arm statute,” CPLR §302, provides, in pertinent part, personal
jurisdiction if a defendant “(1) transacts any business within the state or contracts anywhere to
supply goods or services in the state; or (2) commits a tortious act within the state, . . .; or (3)

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commits a tortious act without the state causing injury to person or property within the state . . .”
Here, personal jurisdiction over WikiLeaks – either general or specific – is absent under
any and all of §302’s provisions. Indeed, the FAC itself, at ¶45, essentially concedes as much. It
describes WikiLeaks as an “international organization of unknown structure,” allegedly with a
P.O. Box in San Mateo, California, and a mailbox in Australia. As the FAC admits, “it is not
clear whether WikiLeaks uses or conducts business through those mailboxes.” Id.
Regarding “general jurisdiction,” New York courts “can adjudicate all claims against an
individual or a corporation” even if unrelated to its contacts with the state if “a corporation’s
contacts . . . are so continuous and systematic as to render [it] essentially at home” in New York.
Millennium Prod. Grp., LLC., 2018 WL 1247384, at *2–3. Also, “only a limited set of
affiliations with a forum” – such as “the corporation’s principle place of business or
headquarters” – “will render a defendant amendable to all-purpose jurisdiction there[.]” Sonera
Holding B.V. v. Cukurova Holding A.S., 750 F.3d 221, 225 (2d Cir. 2014) (quoting Daimler AG
v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117, 137 (2014)). Clearly, that does not apply to WikiLeaks.
Also, as a District Court in the District of Columbia has already found with respect to a
lawsuit based on the same general activity (but which did not name WikiLeaks as a defendant),
“WikiLeaks did not subject itself to personal jurisdiction in the District simply by posting
material on the Internet that could be read by District residents.” Cockrum v. Donald J. Trump
for President, Inc., 319 F. Supp. 3d 158, 186-87 (D.D.C. 2018), citing Hourani v.
Psybersolutions LLC, 164 F. Supp.3d 128, 139 (D.D.C. 2016), aff’d, 690 F. App’x 1 (D.C. Cir.
2017).
Moreover, in Millenium, the Court found that the defendant’s “website with a contact
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form” insufficient to establish general jurisdiction over it because “[h]olding such would
effectively undermine the principle of general jurisdiction for any company with a website with a
contact form (which is to say, almost every company) would be subject to general jurisdiction in
every state.” 2018 WL 1247384, at *3; see also Jacobs v. Felix Block Erben Verlag fur Buhne
Film und Funk KG, 160 F. Supp. 2d 722, 733 (S.D.N.Y. 2001) (explaining that “mere solicitation
of business in New York does not subject a corporation to ‘doing business’ jurisdiction”).
Consequently, the accessibility of WikiLeaks in the District does not create specific jurisdiction.
GTE New Media Serv., Inc. v. BellSouth Corp., 199 F.3d 1343, 1350 (D.C. Cir. 2000).
Specific jurisdiction in New York also “depends on an affiliation between the forum
[state] and the underlying controversy, principally, activity or an occurrence that takes place in
the forum State and is therefore subject to the State’s regulation.” Millennium Prod. Grp., LLC.,
2018 WL 1247384, at *2-3. In determining where a “tortious act” has occurred (within or
without New York), courts “apply a situs-of-injury test, which asks them to locate the ‘original
event which caused the injury’ . . ., not the location where the resultant damages are felt by the
plaintiff.” Whitaker v. Am. Telecasting, Inc., 261 F.3d 196, 209 (2d Cir. 2001).
Under the “transact[ing] business” provision of §302, the “totality of the defendant’s
activities within the forum’” are considered “to determine if the defendant’s ‘transacted business’
can be considered purposeful.” Also, “[c]onclusory allegations of transacting business are
insufficient” to establish specific jurisdiction, and “courts have regularly held that a plaintiff
asserting jurisdiction must tender specific allegations about the defendant’s contact with the
forum state.” Millennium Prod. Grp., LLC., 2018 WL 1247384, at *2-3.
Regarding the provision that a tortious act outside New York is felt within the state, “the
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simple likelihood or foreseeability ‘that a defendant's product will find its way into New York
does not satisfy this element[.]’” State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Swizz Style, Inc., 246 F. Supp. 3d
880, 888-89 (S.D.N.Y. 2017), motion to certify appeal denied, 2017 WL 3835694 (S.D.N.Y.
Aug. 31, 2017). Personal jurisdiction under the transacting business prong requires that “plaintiff
. . . demonstrate that defendant transacted business within New York State, and that that business
had some nexus with this cause of action.” Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Schneiderman, 316 F. Supp. 3d
679, 696 (S.D.N.Y. 2018). A defendant’s “activities here [must be] purposeful and there [must
be] a substantial relationship between the transaction and the claim asserted.” Id., at 697.
Specific jurisdiction can rest only on “contacts that the defendant himself creates with the
forum.” Walden v. Fiore, 571 U.S. 277, 284 (2014). The Supreme Court has “consistently
rejected attempts to satisfy the defendant-focused ‘minimum contacts’ inquiry by demonstrating
contacts between the plaintiff (or third parties) and the forum.” Id. Thus, “it is the defendant, not
the plaintiff or third parties, who must create contacts with the forum State.” Id., at 291.
Nor are the alleged actions of alleged co-conspirators sufficient to confer personal
jurisdiction. See Cockrum, 319 F. Supp. 3d at 185-86 & n. 25; Wescott v. Reisner, 2018 WL
2463614, at *4 (N.D. Cal. June 1, 2018) (district courts in the Ninth Circuit “have refused to
exercise personal jurisdiction over defendants based solely on the actions of their coconspirators. In any event, California courts applying both California and federal due process
have held that personal jurisdiction does not lie over an out-of-state defendant merely because of
the residence or acts of a co-conspirator”).23
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In Cockrum the Court also held that jurisdiction was not established by acts committed
before a particular defendant alleged joined the purported conspiracy. 319 F. Supp. at 186 (“[t]he
Court cannot exercise jurisdiction over defendants by reference to activities performed by
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Even when jurisdiction would be warranted under §302, the Court “then determine[s]
whether asserting jurisdiction under that provision would be compatible with requirements of due
process established under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Affiliated FM Ins. Co., 328 F. Supp.3d at 333. Here, it is respectfully submitted that such analysis
would compel the conclusion that exercising jurisdiction over WikiLeaks would offend
traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice. See Int’l Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S.
310, 316 (1945); see also GTE, 199 F.3d at 1347 (D.C. Cir. 2000).
POINT VII
THE CLAIMS AGAINST WIKILEAKS SHOULD BE
DISMISSED BECAUSE VENUE IS NOT PROPER IN
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
Plaintiff’s purported basis for venue is “28 U.S.C. §1391(b)(2) because a substantial part
of the events giving rise to the claims occurred in New York City, NY[,]” where the Trump
Campaign headquarters were located, one defendant resides, and “a substantial number of the
meetings and interactions made in furtherance of the conspiracy at issue were located[.]” FAC, at
¶36. However, the FAC fails to provide any evidence of the content of those alleged meetings.24
When a defendant challenges venue, the plaintiff shoulders the burden of establishing that
venue is proper. See Cold Spring Harbor Lab. v. Ropes & Gray LLP, 762 F. Supp. 2d 543, 551
(E.D.N.Y. 2011). “Substantiality” for venue purposes is a qualitative rather than quantitative

Russians participating in a separate conspiracy of hacking (as opposed to the publication of
emails) that occurred during a different time frame from that of plaintiffs’ alleged conspiracies”),
citing Walden, 134 S. Ct. at 1126 (other citations omitted).
24

Venue does not lie with respect to WikiLeaks based on 18 U.S.C. §1965(a), see FAC,
at ¶37, because the Southern District is not a district in which WikiLeaks “resides, is found, has
an agent, or transacts [its] affairs.”
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element, and it is “determined by assessing the overall nature of the plaintiff’s claims and the
nature of the specific events or omissions in the forum, and not simply by adding up the number
of contacts.” Cold Spring Harbor Lab, 762 F. Supp. 2d at 553 (quoting Daniel v. Am. Bd. of
Emergency Med., 428 F.3d 408, 432 (2d Cir. 2005)).
The Second Circuit has explained that district courts must “take seriously the adjective
‘substantial[,]’” and thus “for venue to be proper, significant events or omissions material to the
plaintiff’s claim must have occurred in the district in question.” Gulf Ins. Co. v. Glasbrenner,
417 F.3d 353, 357 (E.D.N.Y. 2011). For instance, in a contract case, courts will look at “‘where
the contract was negotiated or executed, where it was to be performed, and where the alleged
breach occurred.’” Matera v. Native Eyewear, Inc., 355 F. Supp. 680, 686 (E.D.N.Y. 2004)
(quoting PI, Inc. v. Quality Prods., Inc., 907 F. Supp. 753, 757 (S.D.N.Y. 1995)).
Here, the FAC has not established with anything more than conclusory allegations that
any of the meetings or other conduct in New York were connected to the alleged intrusion into
Plaintiff’s servers and the gravamen of the subsequent conduct it alleges. Thus, such activities in
the Southern District cannot be deemed “substantial” in connection with the essence of the
lawsuit against WikiLeaks as described in the FAC.
Indeed, the absence of any New York State law claims, and conversely the inclusion of a
total of seven District of Columbia (Claims VIII, IX & X)) and Virginia state law (Claims XI,
XII, XIII & XIV) tort causes of action demonstrates that any conduct in the Southern District was
not substantial, and that the situs of the lawsuit is outside New York altogether. Nor can venue by
satisfied simply because WikiLeaks’s website is available within the District. Otherwise, venue
would exist in every district, a clearly untenable prospect. See Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. v. Water
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Cleaning Services LLC, 2012 WL 2133589, at *2 (S.D. Tex. June 12, 2012).
POINT VIII
THE PENDENT STATE CLAIMS SHOULD BE DISMISSED
PURSUANT TO THE ABSTENTION DOCTRINE
AND BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO STATE A CLAIM
As set forth in Defendants’ Joint Memo, the state causes of action fail to state a claim and
should be dismissed.
POINT IX
WIKILEAKS JOINS IN THE OTHER DEFENDANTS’
MOTIONS AND THE JOINT DEFENSE BRIEF TO DISMISS
TO THE EXTENT THEY INURE TO WIKILEAKS’ BENEFIT
Conclusion
Accordingly, for all the reasons set forth above, as well as in any other defendants’
motions, including Defendants’ Joint Memo, it is respectfully submitted that Plaintiff’s First
Amended Complaint against WikiLeaks be dismissed in its entirety.
Dated: 7 December 2018
New York, New York
Respectfully submitted,
/S/ Joshua L. Dratel
Joshua L. Dratel
Joshua L. Dratel, P.C.
29 Broadway, Suite 1412
New York, New York 10006
[phone]
[e-mail]
Attorneys for Defendant WikiLeaks

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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
I certify that this memorandum is 7,536 words long and a total of 25 pages, in compliance
with the Court’s rules and the requirements set forth in the Court’s November 29, 2018, Order.

Dated: December 7, 2018
/s/ Joshua L. Dratel
JOSHUA L. DRATEL
Attorneys for Defendant WikiLeaks

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