Commercial Litigation UK

  • June 19, 2025

    E-Commerce Co. Denied 'Extraordinary' $40M Injunction

    An Indian e-commerce company has failed to secure an order to get $40 million it claims to need to complete the purchase of a software business, after a court said it was not prepared to grant the "extraordinary" relief before a trial.

  • June 19, 2025

    Pro Bono Plan Aims To Make CAT Claims Accessible To All

    It might come as a surprise that the U.K.'s venue for high-stakes class actions against some of the world's largest companies is planning a new pro bono scheme. But the Brick Court Chambers antitrust silk running the program told Law360 that she sees a real chance to help smaller players get a fair shot at enforcing their rights under a complex area of law.

  • June 19, 2025

    HMRC Cleared Of Forging Warrant To Seize £80M Mansion

    A businessman has lost his case that claimed the U.K. tax authority forged a warrant used to seize his £80 million ($107 million) mansion over fraud and money laundering charges, with a London court concluding that the warrant was genuine.

  • June 19, 2025

    Chinese National's Job Rejection Tied To Security Clearance

    A Chinese national has lost her claim of race discrimination against a cyber-security firm, with the Employment Tribunal saying the company was within its rights to discontinue her job application because she would be unlikely to receive security clearance.

  • June 19, 2025

    Trafigura Partly Blocks Changes To Gupta's $600M Defense

    Metals trader Prateek Gupta was partly blocked Thursday from making wholesale changes to his defense to a fraud claim worth more than $600 million from Trafigura by a judge who nevertheless permitted alterations that had been agreed and those that would not require disclosure. 

  • June 19, 2025

    AmTrust Wins Disclosure Appeal In £56M Claim-Funding Clash

    A London appeals court said Thursday that AmTrust should be able to see another insurer's communications with two law firms amid a £56 million ($75 million) battle over who should cover the costs of a failed litigation-funding scheme.

  • June 19, 2025

    Royal Mail Must Rehire Postman Fired Over Parking Row

    A tribunal has ordered Royal Mail to rehire a postman and pay him £66,000 ($88,600) after it unfairly sacked him over what bosses felt was "violent" behavior during a parking dispute with a colleague.

  • June 19, 2025

    Pension Trust Denies BCLP's £256K Office Damage Claim

    A pension fund trustee company that owns a Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP office has hit back at claims it caused the firm to lose £256,000 ($344,000) by negligently handling repairs after the building was damaged by strong wind.

  • June 19, 2025

    Google Suffers Setback In Bid To Overturn €4B Antitrust Fine

    Google suffered a blow in its bid to overturn to a €4.1 billion ($4.7 billion) antitrust fine on Thursday when an adviser to Europe's top court said it had failed to present proper legal grounds to challenge the penalty for unlawful market abuse using its mobile phone operating system.

  • June 18, 2025

    Jurisdiction Up First In $1B Ukraine Bank Nationalization Case

    A more than $1 billion claim asserted against Ukraine by a Luxembourg-based banking group with ties to a Russian oligarch over the nationalization of Sense Bank will have to overcome jurisdictional hurdles before damages will be considered, an international tribunal has ruled.

  • June 18, 2025

    £20M Buybacks Weren't Mainly For Tax Benefit, UK Court Says

    Obtaining a tax advantage wasn't the main purpose of two businessmen arranging £20 million ($26.8 million) in share buybacks, despite that being the effect, so they aren't liable for an anti-avoidance action by HM Revenue & Customs, the U.K. Upper Tribunal said in overturning a lower court's ruling.

  • June 18, 2025

    William Hill Must Pay £68K To Exec Fired For Alleged Assault

    An employment tribunal has ordered William Hill to pay £68,065 ($91,547) to an advertising executive it unfairly fired over a sexual harassment complaint, ruling that the betting giant ignored evidence showing he never put his fingers in a colleague's mouth. 

  • June 18, 2025

    Intesa Sanpaolo Staffer Loses Bid For Reinstatement

    An employee on secondment in London from Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo has lost his bid to be reinstated until his hearing for unfair dismissal, with an employment tribunal finding he is unlikely to win his substantive case and therefore not entitled to reinstatement in the interim.

  • June 18, 2025

    PE Firm Says Forfeiting Tycoon's €1.5M Investment Was Valid

    A private equity firm has denied wrongfully forfeiting car tycoon Peter Waddell's €1.5 million ($1.7 million) investment in the company and alleged the move was "entirely reasonable," given he had failed to meet a request for money as part of the funding deal.

  • June 18, 2025

    Tesco Fights Ruling On Workers' Equal Pay Claim

    Retail giant Tesco urged the Employment Appeal Tribunal to overturn findings in an ongoing equal pay-claim brought against it by female employees, saying a lower tribunal was wrong to use generic training materials and job descriptions in assessing whether certain roles are of equal value.

  • June 18, 2025

    Artist Defends 'Fishrot' Apology Spoof As Free Expression

    An Icelandic artist urged a London appellate judge Wednesday to give him a chance to override a decision that he could not successfully defend against a claim from the country's largest seafood company alleging he created a spoof website to publish a false apology over a bribery scandal.

  • June 18, 2025

    EU Court Affirms Decision To Publicize Pesticide Ingredients

    An agrochemical company lost its appeal at a European court on Wednesday to block the European Food Safety Authority from releasing a confidential list of ingredients in one of its pesticides in the interest of public knowledge.

  • June 18, 2025

    Sellafield Denies Breach In £18M Nuclear Diving Contract Case

    A British nuclear site management company has hit back at claims that it breached procurement rules when it rejected a bid from a U.S. business for an £18 million ($24 million) contract for diving services, denying that it breached transparency requirements.

  • June 18, 2025

    US Biotech Biz Says Rival's Gene Editing Patent Is Invalid

    A U.S. biotech company and two manufacturers have denied they infringed a South Korean rival's gene-editing patent, urging a London court to declare the patent invalid.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Triton Exec Beats Post-Brexit Appeal To Nix Bias Claim

    An appellate tribunal has upheld a ruling that Brexit did not curtail the ability of a former Triton Partners investment adviser to bring discrimination claims against the Swedish private equity firm's executives, allowing him to pursue his claim in the U.K.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Steel Exec Fights £574K Debt, Claims Unlawful Firing

    The former managing director of a British steel supplier has denied that he had to pay back £574,237 ($775,471) as part of a "transaction bonus," asking a London judge to reinstate him even as he claimed the firm ignored his bullying concerns.

  • June 17, 2025

    EasyGroup Appeals TM Loss To 'Easy Live' Auction Co.

    U.K. venture capital conglomerate easyGroup on Tuesday urged a London appellate court to overturn the rejection of its trademark infringement and revocation case against an online auction services provider, arguing a lower court judge had wrongly disregarded evidence of confusion among consumers.

  • June 17, 2025

    Ex-Georgian PM Says Credit Suisse Ignored £600M Fraud

    Georgia's former prime minister told a U.K. appeals court Tuesday that Credit Suisse Life cannot skirt liability for his losses from an employee's fraud scheme, saying the life insurer had obligations to policyholders to ensure their assets were being managed responsibly.

  • June 17, 2025

    Geradin Partners Hires Top Lawyers For German Expansion

    Geradin Partners said Tuesday that it has hired five lawyers from the law firms Hausfeld and Osborne Clarke as it prepares to launch in Germany later this year.

  • June 17, 2025

    Hat Co. Claims Rival's Dupes Caused 'Greenwashing' Gripe

    A hat brand has accused a rival of selling counterfeit headgear of an inferior quality and hurting its environmentally friendly brand, as consumers were leaving negative reviews accusing it of "greenwashing."

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From World Uyghur Congress Forced Labor Ruling

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    The Court of Appeal’s recent judgment in the World Uyghur Congress' case against the National Crime Agency confirms that companies dealing in goods that they suspect to be products of forced labor are potentially liable to criminal prosecution, presenting significant legal risks that cannot always be mitigated through conducting supply chain due diligence, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

  • Emissions And Extraction: Unpacking The Finch Ruling

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    In Finch v. Surrey County Council, the U.K. Supreme Court recently found that the council's authorization of an oil field expansion was unlawful for failing to consider its greenhouse gas effects, potentially leading to major implications for planning decision processes, say lawyers at Hausfeld.

  • 10 Ways To Manage AI Risks In Service Contracts

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    With the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act coming into force on Aug. 1 and introducing a new regulatory risk, and with AI technology continuing to develop at pace, parties to services arrangements should employ mechanisms now to build in flexibility and get on the front foot, says James Longster at Travers Smith.

  • Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'

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    In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Don't Wing Settlements: Lessons From Morley's TM Ruling

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    In Morley's v. Sivakumar, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court recently found that a fast-food franchiser had breached a fried chicken franchise's trademark rights, despite a prior settlement agreement, offering lessons on drafting express terms to ensure IP protection, say Nessa Khandaker and Clare Cornell at Finnegan.

  • Analyzing The Merits Threshold In Interim Injunction Ruling

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    In Kuznetsov v. War Group, the High Court recently dismissed an interim injunction application, reminding practitioners to be mindful of the possibility that they may be required to meet a higher threshold merits test, say Mark Cooper and Tom Parry at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Use Or Lose It: European TM Ruling Stresses 'Genuine Use'

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    The European Union General Court recently dismissed an action to revoke trademark protections for a lack of use in Sta Grupa v. EU Intellectual Property Office, offering significant insight into the intricacies of assessing evidence of genuine use in revocation actions, says Sumi Nadarajah at FRKelly.

  • Decoding Plans To Simplify The Transfer Of Undertakings Law

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    The prior Conservative government's proposed reforms to the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations to simplify processes protecting employee rights have generally been welcomed, but the fact that Labour is now in power casts significant doubt on whether they will be pursued, says Robert Forsyth at Michelmores.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Intra-EU Enforcement Trends

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    Hungary recently declared a distinct stance on the European Court of Justice's 2021 ruling in Moldavia v. Komstroy on intra-EU arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, highlighting a critical divergence in the bloc on enforcing investment awards and the complexities of balancing regional uniformity with international obligations, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Adjudication Dispute Ruling Elucidates Merit Of Cross-Claims

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    In Morganstone v. Birkemp, the High Court recently found that an adjudicator's refusal to consider cross-claims outside the scope of an interim payment breached natural justice, highlighting inherent risks in the adjudication process, including that not all decisions will be enforced automatically, say Ryland Ash and Jonathan Clarke at Watson Farley.

  • Employer Lessons From Teacher's Menopause Bias Win

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    A Scottish employment tribunal’s recent decision to award a teacher over £60,000 ($77,829) for unfair dismissal is a reminder that menopausal symptoms can amount to a disability, and together with potentially stronger measures from the new Labour government, should prompt all employers to implement effective menopause support policies, say Ellie Gelder and Kelly Thomson at RPC.

  • Why Ukraine Aircraft Insurance Case Failed To Take Off In UK

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    In Aercap v. PJSC Insurance, the High Court decided the claimants could not avoid an exclusive jurisdiction clause and advance their case in England rather than Ukraine, and the reasoning is likely to be of relevance in future jurisdiction disputes, say Abigail Healey and Genevieve Douglas at Quillon Law.

  • What UK Digital Markets Act Will Mean For Competition Law

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    The new Digital Markets Act’s reforms will strengthen the Competition and Markets Authority's investigatory and enforcement powers across its full remit of merger control and antitrust investigations, representing a seismic shift in the U.K. competition and consumer law landscape, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • UK Supreme Court Confirms Limits To Arbitration Act Appeals

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    Every year, disappointed parties come out of U.K.-seated arbitrations and try to seek redress in the English courts, but the U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision in Sharp v. Viterra serves as a reminder of the strict restrictions on appeals brought under the Arbitration Act, says Mark Handley at Duane Morris.

  • Examining The EU Sanctions Directive Approach To Breaches

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    In criminalizing sanctions violations and harmonizing the rules on breaches, a new European Union directive will bring significant change and likely increase enforcement risks across the EU, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

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