Commercial Litigation UK

  • July 14, 2026

    Insurers Blame Shipowner Over 2018 Engine Failure

    Seven insurers of almost 30,000 metric tonnes of palm oil have asked the High Court to rule that a shipowner cannot claim financial contributions for rescuing a vessel that broke down because the ship itself was allegedly unseaworthy.

  • July 13, 2026

    Portofino Says Citadel Used Dismissal To Fuel Press Campaign

    Portofino Technologies has accused Citadel Securities of using its decision to drop its trade secrets lawsuit against the Swiss cryptocurrency trading firm as an opportunity to drum up bad press about Portofino, and papering over the fact that an $8 million judgment it won in the dispute is a "pyrrhic victory."

  • July 13, 2026

    London Arbitration Advised In Florida MSC Cruises Case

    A Florida federal magistrate judge has recommended that a former employee of MSC Cruises SA arbitrate his personal injury claims in London, saying he has already initiated arbitration and can't escape a clause in his contract now.

  • July 13, 2026

    Employment Law Consultant Gets OK For Fire Drill Bias Claim

    A Scottish tribunal has refused to trim a Peninsula employment law consultant's claim that she faced disability discrimination during a fire drill at the advisory firm's offices, declining to throw out her case against her former manager.

  • July 13, 2026

    Kennedys Can Keep £3M Liability Cap In Negligence Dispute

    A London judge ruled Monday that Kennedys Dubai can keep a £3 million ($4 million) liability cap in place in a construction company's multimillion-pound negligence claim, rejecting the company's bid to apply English law to the dispute.

  • July 13, 2026

    Co-op Driver Wins £19K After Harasser Was Reinstated

    The Co-op must pay an apprentice driver £19,000 ($25,400) after the retailer sought to minimize her claims that a female colleague had been sexually harassing her and reinstated the woman without adequately protecting the apprentice, a tribunal ruled.

  • July 13, 2026

    Class Actions Drive UK Court Cost Surge, Biz Lobby Says

    The U.K.'s opt-out collective action regime and a third-party litigation funding market have driven a sharp rise in the country's litigation costs, a U.S. business trade group warned as the government continues to weigh reforms to the collective action regime.

  • July 13, 2026

    Jellycat Sues Hamleys, Next Over Copycat Plushies

    Jellycat has accused both toy shop Hamleys and retailer Next of selling copycats of its popular smiling plush toys in new claims in a London court. 

  • July 13, 2026

    Ashurst Pro Accused Of False Stolen Bike Insurance Claim

    The solicitors' regulator accused an associate at Ashurst LLP of making dishonest statements in support of an insurance claim for a stolen bicycle at a London disciplinary tribunal Monday.

  • July 13, 2026

    Nexans Can't Appeal £10M Wind Farm Cartel Damages Award

    Power cable giant Nexans cannot challenge an order to pay the developers of the London Array wind farm £10.6 million ($14.2 million) over inflated high-voltage cable prices, as a London appeals court has ruled that Nexans' participation in a cartel had to be taken as a "hard fact."

  • July 10, 2026

    Mishcon Beats Bid To Pierce Privilege In $3B Inheritance Fight

    A London court ruled Friday that Mishcon de Reya LLP and its clients do not have to disclose communications concerning information obtained about their opponents through covert investigations in a $3 billion inheritance dispute, saying the iniquity exception to legal professional privilege does not apply.

  • July 10, 2026

    LVMH Group Wins Payout From Counterfeit Luxury Retailer

    Luxury goods giant LVMH has been awarded £213,000 ($285,000) after a London judge ruled that an Essex-based retailer sold counterfeit goods that infringed the trademarks of four of its luxury fashion labels, including Fendi and Dior.

  • July 10, 2026

    Stada Denied Speedy Trial In Novartis Heart Drug Patent Case

    German pharmaceutical company Stada on Friday was denied a quick trial of its bid to launch a generic version of a major Novartis heart failure treatment as a London judge found that it had been slow to file its claim.

  • July 10, 2026

    University To Pay £51K For Bias In Trans Pronoun Dispute

    A University of Manchester employee who has dyspraxia has won £51,200 ($69,000) after a tribunal ruled that she faced a discriminatory probe into her misgendering of a trans colleague.

  • July 10, 2026

    Building Biz Denies Liability In £113M Defective Housing Clash

     Housebuilder Willmott Dixon has hit back at a housing association's attempt to pass on liability for a £113 million ($152 million) claim over allegedly uninhabitable housing, telling a London court that it is not responsible for the remediation bill.

  • July 10, 2026

    Lloyds Beats Underperforming Risk Analyst's Dismissal Claim

    A tribunal has ruled that Lloyds Bank acted reasonably in dismissing a former assistant risk manager, finding that she failed to recognize shortcomings in her performance, despite months of coaching and support.

  • July 10, 2026

    Britvic Denies Flouting IP For 'Magic Mushroom Cabin' Photo

    Soft drinks giant Britvic has denied it infringed a couple's copyright by using a photo of their mushroom-shaped glamping cabin in a prize draw, arguing the pair have failed to establish ownership of the image or any resulting loss.

  • July 10, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen lawyer Ian Rosenblatt launch legal action against music mogul Simon Cowell, Boohoo face a fresh investor claim after previously facing allegations that it feigned ignorance of labor abuses in its supply chain, and an ex-Tory MP and his chief of staff sued by their former employer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • July 10, 2026

    Dos Santos, Unitel Trial Set For 2028 Over Counsel Availability

    Telecoms provider Unitel SA has failed to secure a 2027 trial date for its £327 million ($439 million) claim against the daughter of Angola's former president as a judge held on Friday that the availability of the sanctioned billionaire's preferred barrister justified the delay.

  • July 10, 2026

    Investment Firms Lose Appeal Over Stolen Fund Plans

    An investment fund manager and a consultancy failed Friday to overturn a ruling that they had stolen confidential information to set up a Venezuelan debt investment fund after a joint venture failed, as the Court of Appeal rejected their argument that the material was already public.

  • July 10, 2026

    Carmakers Defeat Most Dieselgate Claims In Blow For Drivers

    Several major carmakers largely defeated claims that they equipped diesel vehicles with unlawful emissions-cheating software, as a London judge ruled Friday that most of the technologies being challenged were not prohibited "defeat devices."

  • July 10, 2026

    Laurence Fox Faked Upskirting Claims Could Defame TV Host

    Social media posts by actor-turned-political activist Laurence Fox that accused TV personality Narinder Kaur of selling sexual images of herself while calling her "attention seeking" expressed an opinion capable of being defamatory, a London court ruled Friday.

  • July 10, 2026

    Nord Stream Ruling Shows Broad Reach Of War Exclusions

    The failed attempt by Nord Stream to recover €580 million ($662 million) for damage to gas pipelines underlines how far broadly worded war exclusions can reach and could influence insurance disputes that arise from geopolitical conflicts, lawyers say.

  • July 10, 2026

    Education Biz Settles £4.6M Dividend Feud With Ex-CEO

    An education company has settled a £4.6 million ($6.2 million) dispute with its former chief executive at a London court, dropping allegations that she caused the business to violate government contracts by failing to reinvest profits.

  • July 09, 2026

    Russia Says No Arbitration Pact Backed $219M Crimea Award

    Russia has now revived its argument that it never agreed to arbitrate a $219 million dispute with a subsidiary of one of Ukraine's largest privately owned energy distributors, telling a D.C. federal court that underlying treaty protections don't apply to Crimean investors.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 UK Rulings Highlight Persistent Push Payment Fraud Issues

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    Two recent High Court decisions, Larsson v. Revolut and Terna DOO v. Revolut, demonstrate that authorized push payment fraud continues to cause headaches for consumers and financial institutions alike, and with forthcoming mandatory reimbursement requirements, more APP fraud litigation can be expected, say lawyers at Charles Russell.

  • Decision Shows Cost Consequences Of Rejecting Mediation

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    An English county court's recent first-instance decision in Conway v. Conway & Meek, which imposed a reduction in costs due to what the judge saw as the defendants' unreasonable refusal to consider mediation, underscores a growing judicial willingness to promote mediation through cost sanctions, say Gerard Kelly and Gearoid Carey at Mason Hayes.

  • Duties And Questions To Consider In Expert Witness Selection

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    A spotlight has recently been shone on the role of expert witnesses due to the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, which should remind all parties to take steps to understand what an expert witness is responsible for and what the selection process should look like, says Toby Hunt at HKA.

  • ECJ Cartel Damages Rulings Are Wins For Multinational Cos.

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    Two decisions from the European Court of Justice last month clarifying the limits of the single economic unit doctrine in cartel damages proceedings will help multinational companies anticipate and prepare for litigation within a narrower band of possible jurisdictions, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Takeaways From EU's 'Pay Or Consent' Advertising Probe

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    Anne-Gabrielle Haie and Charles Whiddington at Steptoe examine key points from the European Commission's recent investigation into Big Tech's use of "pay or consent" advertising models, as well as the European Data Protection Board’s opinion on how such models can comply with EU competition and data protection laws.

  • UK Judgment Could Change Anti-Money Laundering Regimes

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    After the Court of Appeal of England and Wales' determination that criminal property remains criminal property in the hands of its purchaser even if purchased at market value, many businesses could face a new or heightened risk of prosecution for criminality in their supply chains and related money laundering offenses, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Blasket Win Is A Beacon Of Hope

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    A Belgian court's recent decision in favor of Blasket Renewable Investments, enforcing an arbitral award against the Kingdom of Spain, signals that despite the European Court of Justice's restrictive interpretations, there is judicial support within the European Union for enforcing investors' rights under international arbitration agreements, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • UK Approach To AI Patentability Appears Settled For Now

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    After a High Court ruling upended the status quo last year, the Court of Appeal’s recent decision that Emotional Perception’s artificial neural network is not patentable represents a return to the U.K.’s familiar, albeit often complex, approach to patentability of artificial intelligence technology and computer programs generally, say lawyers at Potter Clarkson.

  • How Digital Markets Act Will Enhance Consumer Protections

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    The Digital Markets Act represents a major shift in U.K. competition and consumer protection law by introducing a new regulatory regime for large digital firms, and by giving the Competition and Markets Authority broader merger investigation powers and a wider enforcement remit for online activities, say lawyers at Cooley.

  • What Steps Businesses Can Take After CrowdStrike Failure

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    Following last month’s global Microsoft platform outage caused by CrowdStrike’s failed security software update, businesses can expect complex disputes over liability resulting from multilayered agreements and should look to their various insurance policies for cover despite losses not stemming from a cyberattack, says Daniel Healy at Brown Rudnick.

  • Drafting Settlement Agreements That Avoid Future Disputes

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    Several recent U.K. rulings highlight the importance of drafting precise settlement agreements to prevent time-consuming and costly disputes over what claims the agreements were meant to cover, says Michelle Radom at Osborne Clarke.

  • Int'l Treaties May Aid Investors Amid UK Rail Renationalization

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    The recently introduced Passenger Railway Services Bill seeks to return British railways to public ownership without compensating affected investors, a move that could trigger international investment treaty protections for obligation breaches, says Philipp Kurek at Signature Litigation.

  • Insurance Rulings Show Court Hesitancy To Fix Policy Errors

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    Two recent Court of Appeal insurance decisions highlight that policyholders can only overcome policy drafting errors and claim coverage if there is a very obvious mistake, emphasizing courts' reluctance to rewrite contract terms that are capable of enforcement, says Aaron Le Marquer at Stewarts.

  • AI Reforms Prompt Fintech Compliance Considerations

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    With the EU Artificial Intelligence Act's Aug. 1 enforcement, and the U.K.'s new plans to introduce AI reforms, fintech companies should consider how to best focus limited resources as they balance innovation and compliance, says Nicola Kerr-Shaw at Skadden.

  • Should Arbitrators Do More To Encourage Settlements?

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    In light of discussions on settlement in arbitration, there is a consensus that arbitrators in English-seated proceedings should play a greater role, but determining the extent of that involvement is difficult, as arbitrators can inadvertently place themselves in a position of potential conflict, say lawyers at Dentons.

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