Commercial Litigation UK

  • May 22, 2025

    Tory Donor Battles BBC Over Corruption Libel Defense

    Telecoms magnate and Conservative Party donor Mohamed Amersi urged a London judge Thursday to throw out part of the BBC's defense over what he asserts are the corporation's "baseless factual assertions," in the latest stage of his high-profile libel claim.

  • May 22, 2025

    Next Challenges Workers' £30M Equal Pay Win

    High street fashion chain Next argued Thursday that a decision siding with thousands of female shop workers in an equal pay dispute ignored the company's legitimate need to offer more to recruit and retain its predominantly male warehouse workforce.

  • May 22, 2025

    Pogust Goodhead Sued In Brazil Over 'Abusive' Retainers

    Brazilian prosecutors have accused Pogust Goodhead of inserting "abusive" clauses into the retainers of the clients it is representing in a £36 billion ($48 billion) claim over the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Brazil.

  • May 22, 2025

    Campaigners Fight £200M Wimbledon Tennis Expansion Plan

    A campaign group has hit back against the bid by the owner of the venue that hosts the Wimbledon tennis championships to forge ahead with a 38-court expansion project, arguing that the land on which it intends to build should remain open to the public.

  • May 22, 2025

    Lawyer Denies Aiding Undercover Reporter's Fake Asylum Bid

    A former law firm manager told a London tribunal Thursday that he denied trying to help an undercover journalist to make a bogus asylum application by suggesting they fabricate claims of persecution.

  • May 22, 2025

    UK Gov't Denies Exploiting BA Flight For 1990 Kuwait Intel Op

    The government has denied intentionally exploiting a commercial British Airways flight to insert military intelligence operatives into Kuwait just before the Iraq invaded its neighbor in 1990, but admitted it cannot be ruled out that unidentified officers were on board by coincidence.

  • May 22, 2025

    Sandoz Ordered To Recall Diabetes Drug In AstraZeneca Fight

    A London judge has ordered Sandoz to recall a specific diabetes medicine, as AstraZeneca fights to stop generic-drug makers from imminently releasing variants of its billion-dollar treatment.

  • May 22, 2025

    EY Says NMC Health Obstructed Detection Of £2B Fraud

    NMC Health "frustrated and obstructed" EY's ability to detect widespread fraud at the healthcare chain, lawyers for the Big Four firm said in its defense against a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) High Court claim Thursday.

  • May 22, 2025

    Marsh Settles $143M Claim Over Losses In Greensill Collapse

    Marsh has reached settlement in a claim of almost $143 million with investment firm White Oak, which had alleged that the insurance broker misled it when selling cover for investments in Greensill Capital, a financing firm that collapsed in 2021.

  • May 21, 2025

    Petrofac Wins Approval For $355M Plan To Dodge Liquidation

    British energy services company Petrofact Ltd. has won approval of a $355 million restructuring deal to save it from liquidation, with a London court rejecting arguments from a group of creditors that the deal was unfair.

  • May 21, 2025

    Phone Operators Deny Collusion In Phones 4u Appeal

    Major mobile phone operators urged an appeals court on Wednesday to uphold a finding clearing them of engaging in anticompetitive conduct in order to drive retailer Phones 4u out of business.

  • May 21, 2025

    Ty Can't Nix Distributor's 'Glubschi' TM Over Bad Faith

    A European court on Wednesday rejected Beanie Baby maker Ty's bid to block a former business partner from selling stuffed toys using the trademark "Glubschi," concluding that the distributor had actually filed the applications for Ty's benefit. 

  • May 21, 2025

    Finance Worker Who Stole Secret Docs Can't Claim Notice Pay

    A clearing bank was within its rights to sack a finance manager without notice pay after he breached his contract by sending confidential information to his personal email address, a tribunal has ruled.

  • May 21, 2025

    TUI Denies Causing Guests' Food Poisoning At 5-Star Hotel

    TUI has denied a £200,000 ($269,000) claim that it caused 300 travelers to suffer gastric illnesses on its package holidays, saying that the five-star Cape Verde hotel which allegedly served contaminated food had good hygiene standards.

  • May 21, 2025

    Crypto-Traders Can't Revive Bulk Of £10B Binance Claim

    An appeals court Wednesday rejected most of a £10 billion ($13.3 billion) class action against Binance for delisting a bitcoin alternative, ruling that investors were not entitled to claim damages from the cryptocurrency exchange on the basis they lost out on its future speculative value.

  • May 21, 2025

    Shipper Settles $420K Contract Dispute With Consultant

    A consultancy and its director have settled their long-standing $420,000 dispute with Greek shipping company Navios over allegations that the shipper prematurely backed out of their deal.

  • May 21, 2025

    Vape Co. Can't Threaten To Sue Retailers For TM Infringement

    A London court on Wednesday blocked a vape company from threatening to sue retailers for trademark infringement amid its dispute with a Chinese rival over the rights to the "Crystal" brand name.

  • May 21, 2025

    Staffer Replaced While Sick With Cancer Wins £1.2M

    An employment tribunal has ordered a business equipment seller to pay more than £1.2 million ($1.6 million) to a former employee it forced to resign after hiring someone new while she was on sick leave with breast cancer.

  • May 21, 2025

    'Amicus' Name Not Distinctive, Rival Law Firm Argues

    A high street solicitors' firm in London formerly known as Amicus Solicitors London has hit back at a Manchester-based firm's claims of passing-off, saying that the name was not distinctive and that the two companies served different markets.

  • May 21, 2025

    Class Rep Can't Appeal Chucked £800M Water Pollution Claim

    The U.K. competition tribunal has said an environmental consultant cannot challenge its decision to toss her £800 million ($1.1 billion) proposed class action against several water companies over their alleged failure to report pollution, finding that there is no real prospect of a successful appeal.

  • May 21, 2025

    EY Blames 'Army Of Fraudsters' For NMC Health Collapse

    EY was "duped by an army of fraudsters" who controlled NMC Health "from top to bottom" and prevented the Big Four firm from discovering failings at the healthcare chain, lawyers argued in their defense against a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) High Court claim Wednesday.

  • May 21, 2025

    Engineer Can't Persuade Top Court To Block Repairs Case

    Britain's highest court rejected on Wednesday an attempt by an engineering company to escape a claim from a housing developer fighting to claw back the cost of fixing tower block design defects discovered in the wake of the Grenfell blaze.

  • May 21, 2025

    Game Developer Can't Block Move To Rival, Ex-CEO Says

    The former chief executive of a games developer has hit back at his old company's attempt to block his move to a rival, asking a court not to enforce contractual red tape that could hold up the appointment until 2026.

  • May 21, 2025

    Insurer Hit With £250K Claim Over 'Altered' Life Policy

    Two clients of Countrywide Assured have sued the insurer for £250,000 ($335,200) after the company allegedly changed their joint life policy "without their knowledge," which left one of them short after he suffered a "serious heart attack" and could not claim cover.

  • May 20, 2025

    JPMorgan Fell Short In Trader Spoofing Investigation

    A former metals trader at JPMorgan Chase & Co. has won his claim that he was unfairly fired on suspicion of fraud because of shortcomings in the bank's disciplinary process — but his compensation will be slim after an employment tribunal ruled it was very likely he would have been dismissed regardless.

Expert Analysis

  • ECJ Ruling Triggers Reconsiderations Of Using AI In Hiring

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    A recent European Court of Justice ruling, clarifying that the General Data Protection Regulation could apply to decisions made by artificial intelligence, serves as a warning to employers, as the use of AI in recruitment may lead to more discrimination claims, say Dino Wilkinson and James Major at Clyde & Co.

  • Economic Crime Act Offers Welcome Reform To AML Regime

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    The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act exemption for mixed-property transactions that came into force on Jan. 15 as part of the U.K.'s anti-money laundering regime is long overdue, and should end economic harm to businesses, giving banks confidence to adopt a more pragmatic approach, say Matthew Getz and Joseph Fox-Davies at Pallas Partners.

  • What Venice Swaps Ruling Says About Foreign Law Disputes

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    The English appeals court's decision in Banca Intesa v. Venice that the English law swaps are valid and enforceable will be welcomed by banks, and it provides valuable commentary on the English courts' approach toward the interpretation of foreign law, say Harriet Campbell and Richard Marshall at Penningtons Manches.

  • Key Litigation Funding Rulings Will Drive Reform In 2024

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    Ground-breaking judgments on disputes funding and fee arrangements from 2023 — including that litigation funding agreements could be damages-based agreements, rendering them unenforceable — will bring legislative changes in 2024, which could have a substantial impact on litigation risk for several sectors, say Verity Jackson-Grant and David Bridge at Simmons & Simmons.

  • How Data Privacy Law Cases Are Evolving In UK, EU And US

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    To see where the law is heading in 2024, it is worth looking at privacy litigation and enforcement trends from last year, where we saw a focus on General Data Protection Regulation regulatory enforcement actions in the U.K. and EU, and class actions brought by private plaintiffs in the U.S., say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • Misleading Airline Ads Offer Lessons To Avoid Greenwashing

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    Following the Advertising Standards Authority's recent decision that three airlines' adverts misled customers about their environmental impact, companies should ensure that their green claims comply with legal standards to avoid risking reputational damage, which could have financial repercussions, say Elaina Bailes and Olivia Shaw at Stewarts.

  • Supreme Court Ruling Is A Gift To Insolvency Practitioners

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    As corporate criminal liability is in sharp focus, the Supreme Court's recent decision in Palmer v. Northern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court that administrators are not company officers and should not be held liable under U.K. labor law is instructive in focusing on the substance and not merely the title of a person's role within a company, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Major EU AI Banking Ruling Will Reverberate Across Sectors

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    Following the European Court of Justice's recent OQ v. Land Hessen decision that banks' use of AI-driven credit scores to make consumer decisions did not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, regulators indicated that the ruling would apply broadly, leaving numerous industries that employ AI-powered decisions open to scrutiny, say lawyers at Alston & Bird.

  • English Could Be The Future Language Of The UPC

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    While most Unified Patent Court proceedings are currently held in German, the recent decisions in Plant-e v. Arkyne and Amgen v. Sanofi potentially signal that English will be the preferred language, particularly in cases involving small and medium enterprises, say lawyers at Freshfields.

  • Arbitration Remains Attractive For Digital Disputes In 2024

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    Recent regulatory and digital forum developments highlight that, in 2024, arbitration will continue to adapt to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, and remain an attractive forum for resolving digital disputes due to its flexibility, confidentiality and comparative ease to enforce cross-border awards, says Peter Smith at Charles Russell.

  • Key Employer Lessons From 2023 Neurodiversity Case Uptick

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    The rise in neurodiversity cases in U.K. employment tribunals last year emphasizes the growing need for robust occupational health support, and that employers must acknowledge and adjust for individuals with disabilities in their workplaces to ensure compliance and foster a neurodiverse-friendly work environment, says Emily Cox at Womble Bond.

  • A Look At 2023's Landmark Insolvency Developments

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    The insolvency landscape in 2023 witnessed pivotal court decisions that will continue to shape the industry in 2024, with a focus on refining director and administrator duties and obligations, and addressing emerging challenges, says Kerri Wilson at Ontier.

  • Hague Judgments Treaty May Boost UK-EU Cooperation

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    The U.K.'s recent decision to sign the Hague Judgments Convention could help rebuild post-Brexit judicial cooperation with the EU by creating a holistic arrangement on mutual recognition and enforcement of judgments, say Patrick Robinson and Stephen Lacey at Linklaters.

  • 5 Key UK Employment Law Developments From 2023

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    Key employment law issues in 2023 suggest that topics such as trade union recognition for collective bargaining in the gig economy, industrial action and menopause discrimination will be at the top of the agenda for employers and employees in 2024, say Merrill April and Anaya Price at CM Murray.

  • Emerging Trends From A Busy Climate Litigation Year

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    Although many environmental cases brought in the U.K. were unsuccessful in 2023, they arguably clarified several relevant issues, such as climate rights, director and trustee obligations, and the extent to which claimants can hold the government accountable, illustrating what 2024 may have in store for climate litigation, say Simon Bishop and Patrick Kenny at Hausfeld.

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