Edith Windsor Wins DOMA Challenge in Southern District of New York

Paul, Weiss won a historic victory for our client Edith Windsor in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Ms. Windsor shared 44 years with her late spouse, Thea Spyer, but was forced to pay more than $360,000 in federal estate taxes because the federal government refused to recognize their marriage after Ms. Spyer's passing. Had Ms. Windsor been married to a man, rather than a woman, she would not have had to pay any federal estate tax at all. On June 6, Judge Barbara Jones of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York agreed with our client that DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution, joining four other federal courts that have so held.

The Paul, Weiss team included, among others, litigation partners Andrew Ehrlich, Walter Rieman and Craig Benson; litigation associates Janna Berke, Zachary Dietert, Julie Fink, Sarah Foley, Jaren Janghorbani, Neil Kelly and Ralia Polechronis; personal representation partner Alan Halperin and associate Lauren Cutson Janian; tax partner Richard Bronstein and associate Colin Kelly; entertainment counsel Carol Kaplan and associate Daniel Watkins.