VTB's legal wrangling in Russia prompted JPMorgan to file a case of its own in the Southern District of New York. By claiming that they are prohibited by U.S. law from releasing the funds to VTB, the American bank attempted to thwart VTB's attempts to recover the frozen funds. Citing Russian courts' historical preference for domestic lenders in comparable circumstances, JPMorgan accused VTB of violating their contract by pursuing remedies in Russian courts rather than American ones.