Tag: Black Swan

Odyssey directed its legal team to file a Motion to Strike the amicus brief filed by the United States in support of Spain in the "Black Swan" case currently pending before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

If the court opts to not strike the brief, Odyssey seeks to have the court direct the United States government to amend its statement of interest to more accurately reflect its true position on the matter [...]

Sunken treasure and diplomatic back channel maneuvering are disparate topics one thinks of only in the fictional world of books or movies. However, those seemingly unrelated points have recently been focused on an American company that specializes in exploration and recovery of deep-ocean shipwrecks.

Odyssey Marine Exploration, based in Tampa, Florida, announced in May 2007 the discovery of the "Black Swan," a site located in the Atlantic Ocean which yielded over 500,000 colonial-era silver coins [...]

Odyssey Marine Exploration was recently notified that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit would hear oral arguments on the case that is currently pending before it between Odyssey and the country of Spain.

At issue is the ownership of over 500,000 Colonial-period silver coins that were recovered from the bottom of the ocean by Odyssey [...]

Continuing a series of legal steps, challenges and hurdles, Odyssey Marine Exploration has recently filed it's reply to Spain's response in the highly contested "Black Swan" case. This is expected to be the end of the written pleadings for the matter which is currently before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia.

At stake in the matter is ownership of a recovered sunken treasure consisting of an estimated 500,000 gold and silver coins. Believed to be valued at around $500 million, the recovery has peaked the interest of many since it was first announced back in 2007. The issue was contentious from almost the start with Spain initiating a seizure of one of Odyssey's vessels back in July of 2007, claiming that Odyssey was engaged in an "offence against Spanish historic heritage."

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