A lawsuit against Bermuda resident John Kent Cooke has been withdrawn from a US federal court and a new version refiled in Washington D.C. Superior Court.

The news comes in a recent The Washington Post article.

The original lawsuit was filed against the former president of the Washington Redskins by New York real estate developer Howard Milstein last May after they both failed in their attempts to purchase the Redskins.

Mr. Milstein contended that Mr. Cooke conspired with other National Football League owners to scuttle his $800 million bid to buy the team.

Mr. Cooke denied the claim and argued that the federal dispute should be dismissed as he had moved to Bermuda in March.

Mr. Milstein's new suit was filed in D.C. Superior Court and seeks more than $100 million in damages from Mr. Cooke. Under D.C. law, Cooke's residency is not an issue.

Meanwhile, depositions heard in the case have pulled Mid Ocean Club indirectly into the fray as well. It has emerged that an employee of Mr. Milstein, Anthony Bergamo, secretly taped Mr. Cooke while dining with him at the private club in Tucker's Town. During that dinner, Mr. Bergamo pressed Mr. Cooke to agree that Mr. Milstein was a "slumlord''.

COURTS CTS