Commercial Litigation UK

  • December 18, 2024

    Colliers Sued For £3.9M For Shopping Mall Over-Valuation

    An investment manager and two commercial lenders have sued Colliers International for £3.95 million ($5 million) for allegedly overvaluing a shopping mall in northwest England used in a loan agreement, which they claim caused losses when its true worth became apparent.

  • December 18, 2024

    Attwells' Defense Sticks In £1.2M Loan Dispute

    Attwells Solicitors LLP's defense to an almost £1.2 million ($1.5 million) claim that it failed to adhere to a loan agreement will go to trial after a London court found it was too early to decide that there is "no real prospect" of fighting the allegation.

  • December 18, 2024

    Tech Biz Unfairly Fired CEO For Whistleblowing On China Deal

    A British semiconductor company unfairly sacked its chief executive after he blew the whistle on the risks of relocating the company's headquarters to China in return for investment, a tribunal has ruled.

  • December 18, 2024

    Children's Home Worker Wins Penis Stereotype Claim

    A children's home must pay its former employee more than £16,000 ($20,300) after his manager used a derogatory racial slur in front of him and brought him into a conversation about the stereotype of Black men having large penises.

  • December 18, 2024

    Huawei Fights To Toss MediaTek's UK Chip Patent Claim

    Chinese tech company Huawei asked the High Court on Wednesday to toss out patent infringement claims brought by Taiwanese rival MediaTek, arguing that the English courts are not the right place to hear the dispute and that the issues should be decided in China.

  • December 18, 2024

    Pension Bodies Call For Regulation After Court Ruling

    The government should issue regulation to clarify the scope of a landmark Court of Appeal ruling that could potentially cost pension providers billions of pounds in redress, a coalition of trade bodies has said.

  • December 18, 2024

    Group Says Craig Wright In Contempt For £900B Bitcoin Claim

    Cryptocurrency developers argued in a London court Wednesday that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright should be found in contempt of court for asserting he had invented bitcoin in an approximately £900 billion ($1.144 trillion) claim after a judge ruled that he had repeatedly lied about creating the digital currency.

  • December 18, 2024

    UK Sees 'Merit' In Costs Cap For Agencies Pursuing Oligarchs

    The government said Wednesday that it will consider the introduction of legislation to cap the legal costs law enforcement are liable to pay defendants in unsuccessful civil proceedings, potentially shielding agencies from the financial brunt of failed cases against deep-pocketed kleptocrats.

  • December 18, 2024

    Lawyer Success Fees Can't Form Part Of Inheritance Claims

    Success fees paid to lawyers in a "no win, no fee" agreement cannot be recovered as part of an award for maintenance in a claim against the estate of a dead person, Britain's highest court ruled on Wednesday.

  • December 17, 2024

    Yukos Capital Opposes Stay In $5B Russia Award Suit

    The financing arm of Yukos Oil Co. urged a D.C. federal court on Monday not to pause its lawsuit looking to enforce a $5 billion arbitral award against Russia while litigation involving similar issues plays out, saying the Kremlin is needlessly dragging its feet.

  • December 17, 2024

    NI Journalists Win Surveillance Claim Against Police

    Two Northern Irish journalists won their claim against two U.K. police services Tuesday when a London tribunal ruled that Northern Irish and London police had unlawfully spied on them, awarding them £4,000 ($5,083) in damages and quashing a surveillance order against the two men.

  • December 17, 2024

    Cabinet Office Staffer Revives Job Grading Race Bias Claim

    A Cabinet Office employee who identifies as Romani has revived her discrimination claim over the grading of her role, persuading an appeals judge on Tuesday to overturn an earlier decision to throw out her case.

  • December 17, 2024

    Slaughter And May, Forsters Steer £6B MoD Buy From PE Unit

    The U.K. government said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire 36,000 military homes from property manager Annington for almost £6 billion ($7.6 billion), to settle legal proceedings and make long-term savings for taxpayers.

  • December 17, 2024

    Mothercare Manager Wins Maternity Bias, Unfair Sacking Case

    A manager at the retailer Mothercare has won her claims for unfair dismissal and maternity discrimination after a tribunal found senior staff at the company scrapped her role to replace her with the freelancer hired to cover her maternity leave.

  • December 17, 2024

    MI5 Wins Case Against Lawyer Accused Of Being Chinese Spy

    A solicitor accused of being a Chinese spy has lost her legal challenge against MI5, after a tribunal found Tuesday that the U.K. security service acted lawfully when it warned parliamentarians that she was trying to interfere with the political process.

  • December 17, 2024

    Broker Banned For 'Lack Of Integrity' Over Indemnity Risk

    The director of a mortgage broker who demonstrated a "lack of integrity" has been banned and must pay a £10,000 ($12,700) fine after a London appeals court ruled Tuesday that he recklessly risked his company operating without professional indemnity insurance.

  • December 17, 2024

    Osborne Clarke Pro Denies Trying To Block Zahawi Scrutiny

    A partner with Osborne Clarke LLP who represented Nadhim Zahawi has denied trying to prevent the former Conservative chancellor from facing scrutiny over his tax affairs by sending an allegedly threatening letter to a blogger, as he testified at a disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday.

  • December 17, 2024

    Thatchers Says Aldi Got Unfair Advantage By Copycat Cider

    The makers of Thatchers cider urged an appeals court on Tuesday to revive its trademark infringement claim against Aldi, arguing that the supermarket chain had gained an unfair advantage by producing a copycat design of its drink.

  • December 17, 2024

    Barclays Loses Challenge To Major UK Motor Finance Ruling

    Barclays lost its challenge to a decision that found it had treated a customer unfairly by paying commission to a car finance broker as a London court ruled on Tuesday that the relationship was unfair and not adequately disclosed.

  • December 17, 2024

    UK Broker Fights New Danish Cum-Ex Fraud Allegations

    An English brokerage argued at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday that Danish authorities should be barred from bringing new tax fraud claims against it because the court has already thrown out a case that turns on the same fundamental question.

  • December 17, 2024

    Uni Manager Wins £33K For Mental Health Discrimination

    A sacked university manager has won £32,700 ($41,500) after persuading a tribunal that her mental health was the reason bosses made her redundant and has also proved that the institution discriminated against her.

  • December 16, 2024

    Halozyme Loses Bid To Protect Breast Cancer Drugs

    A London judge on Monday rejected Halozyme's bid to protect an active ingredient in two breast cancer drugs with a supplementary protection certificate, after finding that it was actually an inactive substance used to enhance other therapeutic effects.

  • December 16, 2024

    Freshfields IA Pro Goes Solo With NY Practice

    A nearly decade-long Freshfields attorney in New York and Madrid has launched a solo practice offering independent counsel and arbitrator services, harnessing her experience working on more than 25 commercial and investment disputes.

  • December 16, 2024

    Travelers Settles Warehouse Fire Row With Building Co.

    Travelers Insurance Co. Ltd. has settled a U.K.-based building operator's legal claim over alleged losses from fires that destroyed its warehouse in Scotland.

  • December 16, 2024

    Black Job Applicant Revives Race Bias Claim Against Gov't

    A London appellate court has ruled that the government must face a Caribbean job applicant's race bias claims once more, concluding that he filed late only because officials didn't give him crucial information for months.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Trends, Tips From 7 Years Of EPO Antibody Patent Appeals

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    Recent years of European Patent Office decisions reveal some surprising differences between appeals involving therapeutic antibody patents and those for other technologies, offering useful insight into this developing area of European case law for future antibody patent applicants, say Alex Epstein and Jane Evenson at CMS.

  • 4 Takeaways From Biotech Patent Invalidity Ruling

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    The recent Patents Court decision in litigation between Advanced Cell Diagnostics and Molecular Instruments offers noteworthy commentary on issues related to experiments done in the ordinary course of business, joint importation, common general knowledge and mindset, and mosaicking for anticipation, say Nessa Khandaker and Darren Jiron at Finnegan.

  • Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise

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    The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • What French Watchdog Ruling Means For M&A Landscape

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    Although ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence, the French competition authority’s recent post-closing review of several nonreportable mergers is a landmark case that highlights the increased complexity of such transactions, and is further testament to the European competition authorities’ willingness to expand their toolkit to address below-threshold M&As, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • How Life Science Companies Are Approaching UPC Opt-Outs

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    A look at recent data shows that one year after its launch, the European Union's Unified Patent Court is still seeing a high rate of opt-outs, including from large U.S.-based life science companies wary of this unpredictable court — and there are reasons this strategy should largely remain the same, say Sanjay Murthy and Christopher Tuinenga at McAndrews Held.

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