Commercial Litigation UK

  • April 10, 2026

    COVID Insurance Claims Near Endgame As Deadline Looms

    An approaching deadline for new claims for COVID-19 business interruption has prompted a series of last-minute court filings, but lawyers say that any fresh disputes will be narrow and likely to focus on complex questions not resolved by earlier test cases.

  • April 10, 2026

    Law Firm Can't Cut Fine Over Client Account AML Failures

    A disciplinary tribunal has upheld a fine of £68,000 ($91,400) for anti-money laundering failures against a law firm that used its client bank account to move $23 million for a Russian customer, concluding that the penalty fell within the range of possible sanctions.

  • April 10, 2026

    Air Conditioning Engineer Found Unfairly Sacked For Own Biz

    An air conditioning engineer has won his unfair dismissal case, with a tribunal concluding that his boss suddenly sacked him on the spot after learning that he had set up his own company.

  • April 10, 2026

    London Firm Gets £35K Costs Bill Over Accounting Breaches

    A London law firm that improperly retained a client's funds has been slapped with a bill of £35,000 (£47,000) for the Solicitor Regulation Authority's costs after a tribunal fined it just £2,500.

  • April 09, 2026

    Welsh Government Wins Fight Over £205M Airport Subsidy

    The Welsh government has defeated Bristol Airport's challenge to a £205 million ($275 million) public funding package it issued to Cardiff Airport, after Britain's antitrust tribunal held that the subsidy was legal.

  • April 09, 2026

    Rail Worker Wins Harassment Case Over EDL Note In Locker

    A tribunal has ruled that a British-Indian track worker was racially harassed after he found a leaflet from the English Defence League in his locker, finding that Network Rail relied on rumor and speculation rather than conducting a proper investigation. 

  • April 09, 2026

    COVID-19 Jab Injury Claimants Seek Compensation Reforms

    A group of claimants suing AstraZeneca over death and injury allegedly caused by side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine said Thursday that they hope an inquiry into the response to the pandemic will recommend that the country's vaccine compensation scheme is reformed.

  • April 09, 2026

    Jo Malone 'Surprised' By Estée Lauder Owner's TM Claim

    British perfumer Jo Malone has defended the right to use her own name after Estée Lauder Companies claimed in a London court that she has infringed trademarks over the "Jo Malone" brand that it acquired when it bought her company.

  • April 09, 2026

    Ex-Trader Says Deutsche Bank Can't Block £12M Claim

    A former Deutsche Bank trader has hit back at the lender's counterclaim, denying that his conviction for tricking market competitors through a "spoofing" scheme voids his £12 million ($16 million) claim.

  • April 09, 2026

    Ex-Fidelity Pro Can't Get Temp Pay In Whistleblowing Case

    Fidelity Investments does not need to pay or reinstate a member of staff while he waits for a judge to rule on his claims for unfair dismissal and whistleblowing detriment because the case was not sufficiently clear-cut, an employment tribunal has ruled.

  • April 08, 2026

    Finance Co. Told To Wind Up After Investors Claim £1.7M Loss

    A London court has ordered the winding up of a financial services company that went into administration after being sued for £1.7 million ($2.3. million) by investors in failed property redevelopment schemes, ruling that the reason for administration was "tenuous."

  • April 08, 2026

    BDO Denies Negligence Caused Collapse In £80M Audit Fight

    BDO has rejected an £80 million ($107 million) claim for negligence from a collapsed construction company which alleged that it had bungled an audit, saying the business would still have failed even if £43 million in losses had been uncovered earlier.

  • April 08, 2026

    Law Firm Must Pay Worker For Racial Harassment

    A Cardiff law firm has been ordered to pay a former employee compensation for harassment related to race, according to a newly public judgment.

  • April 08, 2026

    Ex-Olswang Pro Fined For Not Reporting Driving Convictions

    A disciplinary tribunal fined a former Olswang LLP solicitor £15,000 ($20,000) on Wednesday for failing to promptly report a series of drink-driving convictions to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

  • April 08, 2026

    FirstRand To Sell Aldermore Over UK Car Loan Redress

    South Africa's FirstRand plans to sell its British operations, including lender Aldermore and motor finance provider MotoNovo, after Britain's compensation scheme for missold car loans forced the bank to sharply increase its expected costs.

  • April 08, 2026

    ENRC Battles SFO Investigator Over £1.8M Legal Costs

    A London judge ordered Serious Fraud Office investigator Antony Puddick on Wednesday to disclose details of his solicitors' retainer agreement in a £1.8 million ($2.4 million) costs dispute with Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. following the end of their legal fight. 

  • April 08, 2026

    Libyan Wealth Fund's UK Arm Must Pay Ex-Manager £498K

    A tribunal has told a U.K. subsidiary of Libya's sovereign wealth fund to pay a former manager £497,500 ($670,000) after it short-changed his holiday entitlement for decades and unfairly sacked him out of the blue.

  • April 08, 2026

    Swiss Watch Biz Denies Copying 88-Facet Diamond Designs

    A Swiss watchmaker has denied it copied a jeweler's copyright over 88-facet diamond designs, telling a London court that there are crucial differences between its gemstones and those of its opponent.

  • April 08, 2026

    Warehouse Co. Sues Israeli Biz Over Oct. 7 Attack Disruption

    A warehouse technology company has sued an Israeli logistics business for almost €1.6 million ($1.85 million), alleging that the Middle Eastern company delayed the installation of machinery and failed to mitigate disruption caused by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

  • April 07, 2026

    UK Oil Co. Can Avoid £167M Tax Assessment, Tribunal Says

    A U.K. oil company isn't liable for a £167 million ($221 million) increase to its taxable profits because for tax purposes it shouldn't be treated as having acquired an oil-related business following an intra-group transfer, according to an Upper Tribunal decision published Tuesday.

  • April 07, 2026

    Brothers Claim Signatures Were Forged In £5M Debt Case

    Two brothers accused of owing almost £5 million in outstanding payments on an investment loan have alleged their signatures were forged on loan agreements.

  • April 07, 2026

    J&J Unit Challenges US Gov't Cancer Drug Patent In UK

    Johnson & Johnson's research unit has asked a London judge to revoke a patent for a blood cancer treatment owned by the U.S. government, as the pharmaceutical giant prepares to launch its own latest treatment for multiple myeloma. 

  • April 07, 2026

    Oil Trader Sues Spanish Co. For $23M Over Unpaid Shipment

    A Swiss oil trader has sued a Spanish energy investment company for more than $23 million for not paying outstanding amounts from the purchase of a shipment of oil.

  • April 07, 2026

    Asda Failed To Seek Medical Advice In Sick Pay Row

    A tribunal has ruled that Asda unlawfully slashed a warehouse worker's contractual sick pay, awarding him more than £4,400 ($5,900) after the retailer failed to obtain in-house medical advice on whether his hernia affected his return to work.

  • April 07, 2026

    Iran War Could Revive 'Grip Of Peril' Insurance Rule

    Insurers are likely to run again into the thorny question of whether aircraft grounded amid airport closures in the Middle East are already within the "grip of the peril" if leasing companies make claims for damages on canceled policies, lawyers said.

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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