A lawsuit involving Grenada's Agriculture Minister Gregory Bowen and three Russian defendants was dismissed last week by a United States judge. The judge dismissed the action by a U.S. oil company on the grounds that RSM Corporation’s claims against the then Minister of Energy Gregory Bowen for tortious interference with a contract and business relations was time barred. The matter against Bowen and three Russian defendants dates back to August 2004. In a news conference, Bowen announced that the case against him has been dismissed but that there is an ongoing matter at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute in London. Judge Denise Cote, in her written judgment, said that she applied Colorado's two-year statute of limitations on claims, which requires that plaintiff's claims against the defendants be brought within two years after the cause of action accrued. Judge Cote says that a stay is not warranted while the litigation is pending resolution before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute. However, the US District Court judge also dismissed a motion by Bowen for a protective order denying the plaintiffs' jurisdictional discovery. The judge also dismissed motions by co-defendants, Mikhail Fridman, Lev Korchagin and Len Blavatnik, all Russian nationals and granted RSM Corporation permission to file an amended complaint no later than August 24. A member of RSM's legal team confirmed to the BBC's Caribbean Report that the case is still alive and is cautiously optimistic that Minister Bowen and other defendants will be back in court. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com