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Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 142 Filed 02/04/21 Page 28 of 38
defendant’s plea agreement explicitly stated that it “is binding on the United States only in [the
Eastern] district”), aff'd, 774 F.2d 30 (2d Cir. 1985). Because there is no such language in the
NPA here, Ms. Maxwell’s position is entirely consistent with these cases, and they counsel in
favor of enforcement of the NPA in this case.
Other Second Circuit cases citing Annabi also support Ms. Maxwell’s position. In United
States v. Brown, No. 99-1230(L), 2002 WL 34244994 (2d Cir. Apr. 26, 2002), the defendants
relied solely on their “subjective beliefs” and “implicit understanding” that they would not be
prosecuted further in another district, which the court held irrelevant; they cited no “affirmative
appearance” in support of their position, as Ms. Maxwell has. And in Russo, the court found it
unnecessary to reach Annabi, but acknowledged that an “affirmative appearance” of an intent to
bind other USAOs can be found even where a plea agreement does not contain an express
statement to that effect—an interpretation that supports Ms. Maxwell’s position that the NPA
binds the government here. Russo, 801 F.2d at 626.
c. To the extent that Annabi conflicts with Eleventh Circuit law,
Eleventh Circuit law applies and would require enforcement of the
NPA here.
Under federal choice-of-law rules, which apply in non-diversity cases, factors in
determining which jurisdiction’s contract law applies include (i) any choice-of-law provision in
the contract; (11) the place where the contract was negotiated, issued, and signed; (111) the place of
performance; (iv) the location of the subject matter of the contract; and (v) the domicile,
residence, nationality, place of incorporation, and place of business of the parties. Advani
Enters., Inc. v. Underwriters at Lloyds, 140 F.3d 157, 162 (2d Cir. 1998). New York conflict-of-
law rules similarly require that the law of the jurisdiction with the most significant contacts and
greatest interest governs the construction of a contract. See Index Fund, Inc. v. Ins. Co. of N.
Am., 580 F.2d 1158, 1161-62 (2d Cir. 1978). Under either set of rules, because the NPA was
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00002600.jpg |
| File Size | 732.2 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.4% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,216 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 16:25:16.472867 |