Commercial Litigation UK

  • April 02, 2025

    Enablers In The Spotlight As First Al-Fayed Claims Emerge

    Employers that allow sexual misconduct to go unpunished in the workplace are increasingly likely to be held liable, lawyers warn, as five women who worked for the late billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed launch claims against his estate.

  • April 02, 2025

    Ex-Ryanair Pilot Fights 'Fiction' Of Contractor Status In Appeal

    A former pilot for Ryanair told the Court of Appeal on Wednesday that his contractor status was a "fiction" as he fought efforts from the airline and a staffing company to overturn rulings that he is entitled to equal conditions with Ryanair's directly employed staff.

  • April 02, 2025

    Class Rep Says Appeal Court Entitled To Allow £2.7B FX Claim

    A class representative said Wednesday that the Court of Appeal was entitled to allow a £2.7 billion ($3.5 billion) foreign exchange claim to go ahead as an opt-out class action, arguing Britain's specialist competition tribunal was wrong to effectively end the proceedings.

  • April 02, 2025

    Taxing School Fees Doesn't Restrict Choice, Gov't Tells Court

    The U.K. did not break human rights law by imposing 20% value-added tax on private school fees because families can still access education through other options, the government told a London court.

  • April 02, 2025

    Management Biz. Loses Costs Bid Over Consultant's Theft

    An employment tribunal has refused to force a director to pay the £12,060 ($15,645) that a workforce management firm incurred in defending his claims of unfair dismissal, ruling he didn't sue vexatiously.

  • April 02, 2025

    Apple Challenges Funding Deal In £853M Battery Class Action

    Apple sought on Wednesday to ax an £853 million ($1.1 billion) collective action accusing the tech giant of concealing problems with batteries, arguing that the class representative had unlawfully agreed to prioritize paying the litigation-funder over the other claimants.

  • April 02, 2025

    Toy Seller Denies Copying Rival's 'Paw Bear' IP

    A toy seller has fought back against claims that it copied a teddy bear design to steal customers, arguing that its rival was not the first company to give the stuffed animals a neck bow and rough patches.

  • April 02, 2025

    'Snow White' Email Shows Staley's Ties To Epstein, FCA Says

    The inability of former Barclays boss Jes Staley to remember "now infamous" emails with Jeffrey Epstein undermines his credibility and his attempts to overturn his ban for lying about his ties to the sex offender, the Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday.

  • April 02, 2025

    Paddington Bear Owner Sues Souvenir Seller Over Copyright

    The owner of Paddington Bear has hit a souvenir wholesaler with a copyright infringement claim in a London court, accusing it of using copies of the iconic bear on products without its permission.

  • April 02, 2025

    Gov't Confirms Major Delays For NHS Workers In Pension Fix

    The government has admitted that hundreds of thousands of people receiving a National Health Service pension will need to wait nearly two years to see their benefits potentially increase.

  • April 02, 2025

    Developer Sues Law Firm For £5M Over Failed London Project

    A conveyancing law firm has been hit with a £5.1 million ($6.6 million) negligence claim from a property developer that alleges the solicitors scuppered the company's plan to redevelop its four-story building in southwest London.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ex-CEO Loses Dismissal Case After Going AWOL

    An employment tribunal has dismissed a former chief executive's claims that a heating, ventilation and air conditioning manufacturer forced him to resign by blackmailing him into signing onerous warranties before a restructuring, ruling that he had "overplayed his hand" despite his duty to help. 

  • April 01, 2025

    Celtic Football Club Settles Sex Abuse Cases For £1M-Plus

    Celtic Football Club has agreed to settle numerous sexual abuse claims brought by former members of the club's boys team for a seven-figure sum, the law firm representing the claimants announced Tuesday.

  • April 01, 2025

    DWF Avoids Doc Request In Health Data Breach Claim

    DWF Law LLP dodged an order in court Tuesday to hand over documents to three people who allege that the law firm unlawfully shared their health data, after a London judge concluded that the request was merely a fishing expedition.

  • April 01, 2025

    Reckitt Age Bias Ruling Is 'License To Discriminate'

    A retired Reckitt Benckiser executive urged a London appeals court on Tuesday to overturn a tribunal's dismissal of his claim that the pharmaceutical company discriminated against older employees, saying the decision creates a "license to discriminate for large corporations."

  • April 01, 2025

    TUI Sued By 300 Travelers Over Cape Verde Food Poisoning

    A group of 300 holidaygoers has sued TUI UK Ltd. for £200,000 ($258,000) alleging that the package holiday provider allowed food contaminated with bacteria and exposed to insects and pests to be served at a five-star Cape Verde hotel.

  • April 01, 2025

    Private School Group Challenges VAT On Rights Grounds

    The U.K. government has broken human rights law by removing a value-added tax exemption for school fees because doing so limits access to education, a lawyer representing 10 children told a London court Tuesday.

  • April 01, 2025

    Businessmen Blame Parent Company In £11.8M Loan Dispute

    Three businessmen have hit back at an investment fund's accusations that they allowed it to issue £11.8 million ($15.2 million) in loans for property developments that it alleged were likely to fail, telling a London court the fund's parent company was responsible.

  • April 01, 2025

    Major Banks Appeal To Block Class In £2.7B Forex Case

    A group of major banks accused the Court of Appeal on Tuesday of circumventing Britain's specialist competition tribunal when it allowed a £2.7 billion ($3.5 billion) foreign exchange claim to go ahead against them as an opt-out class action.

  • April 01, 2025

    Ryanair, Staffing Agency Deny Employing Pilot On Appeal

    Ryanair and its pilot staffing agency both denied at an appellate hearing Tuesday being the employer of a pilot who has sued for equal conditions with the carrier's directly employed staff.

  • April 01, 2025

    Motor Finance Ruling Was 'Egregious Error,' Lenders Say

    Motor finance firms urged the U.K. Supreme Court on Tuesday to overturn findings that car dealers owed a legal duty to act in the interests of their customers, as a landmark hearing that could determine the size of compensation bills begins.

  • April 01, 2025

    Fire Alarm Patent Not New, Electrical Supplier Argues

    An electrical equipment supplier has told a London court that a rival fire alarm manufacturer's patent for fire and carbon monoxide alarm systems is not viable because the supplier's competitor sold similar alarm systems before the patent was filed.

  • April 01, 2025

    Candey Denies Mishandling Client's Funds In Libel Dispute

    Disputes firm Candey Ltd. has denied a claim by a former client that it mishandled her money following a settlement in a trademark dispute, while pressing home its allegation that her one-star Google review of its performance was defamatory.

  • April 01, 2025

    Fenchurch Warns On COVID Insurance Claim Limitations

    Insurance brokers have less than a year to file claims on behalf of their clients for business losses suffered during the national COVID-19 lockdowns, a law firm warned on Tuesday.

  • March 31, 2025

    Estonia Fends Off $206M Claim From Port Investor

    An international tribunal has dismissed a Florida commodities trader's claim seeking $206 million from Estonia, in which it accused the country of wrongfully initiating civil and criminal proceedings stemming from the company's investment in a port near the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At Enforcing And Contesting Arbitral Awards In Qatar

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    As Qatar aspires to become a regional investment hub as part of its Qatar Vision 2030, it has committed to modernizing its arbitration practices in accordance with international standards, including updating the process of enforcing and contesting arbitration awards, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint

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    In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.

  • Oil And Gas Case Highlights Judicial Review Climate Trends

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    Although the High Court recently dismissed a judicial review challenge concerning the U.K. oil and gas industry licensing regime, the case highlights how environmental campaign groups are increasingly taking formal steps through court proceedings to challenge the fossil fuel industry and influence government policy, say lawyers at CMS.

  • Collapse-Risk Buildings Present Liability Challenges

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    Recently, buildings, such as Harrow Crown Court, have been closed due to risk of collapse from use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their construction, but identifying who will pay for the associated damages may be challenging due to expired limitation periods, say Theresa Mohammed, Jonathan Clarke and Villem Diederichs at Watson Farley.

  • Age Bias Cases Illustrate Key Employer Issues On Retirement

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    Recent Employment Tribunal cases demonstrate that age discrimination claims are increasingly on employees' radars, particularly regarding retirement, so employers should be proactive and review their current practices for managing older employees, say Jane Mann and Lucy Sellen at Fox Williams.

  • Why Indonesia Feels Frustrated By Airbus Dispute Outcome

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    Although the U.K. Serious Fraud Office’s Airbus bribery investigation achieved a record payout for regulators, Indonesia’s threat to sue for lack of credit for its contribution serves as a reminder of the need to take care when settlements are distributed among investigating partners, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.

  • UAE Bank Case Offers Lessons On Enforcing Foreign Rulings

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    The High Court recently clarified in Invest Bank v. El-Husseini that foreign judgment debts may be enforceable in England, despite being unenforceable in their jurisdiction of origin, which should remind practitioners that foreign judgments will be recognized in England if they are final and conclusive in their court of origin, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.

  • 9 Hallmarks Of The New German Class Action Regime

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    By recently adopting a new class action regime, Germany is taking an incremental step toward more collective redress, which may fundamentally change its litigation landscape amid increased European regulatory activity, a growing focus on private enforcement of regulations, and a consumer-friendly German judiciary, say lawyers at Gibson Dunn.

  • Protecting The Arbitral Process In Russia-Related Disputes

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    Four recent High Court and Court of Appeal rulings concerning anti-suit injunction claims illustrate that companies exposed to litigation risk in Russia may need to carefully consider how to best protect their interests and the arbitral process with regard to a Russian counterparty, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Examining US And Europe Patent Disclosure For AI Inventions

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    As applicants before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office increasingly seek patent protection for inventions relating to artificial intelligence, the applications may require more implementation details than traditional computer-implemented inventions, including disclosure of data and methods used to train the AI systems, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Incontinence Drug Ruling Offers Key Patent Drafting Lessons

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    In a long-awaited decision in Astellas v. Teva and Sandoz, an English court found that the patent for a drug used to treat overactive bladder syndrome had not been infringed, highlighting the interaction between patent drafting and litigation strategy, and why claim infringement is as important a consideration as validity, says George McCubbin at Herbert Smith.

  • RSA Insurance Ruling Clarifies Definition Of 'Insured Loss'

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    A London appeals court's recent ruling in Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance v. Tughans, that the insurer must provide coverage for a liability that included the law firm's fees, shows that a claim for the recovery of fees paid to a firm can constitute an insured loss, say James Roberts and Sophia Hanif at Clyde & Co.

  • Putin Ruling May Have Unintended Sanctions Consequences

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    By widening the scope of control, the Court of Appeal's recent judgment in Mints v. PJSC opens the possibility that everything in Russia could be deemed to be controlled by President Vladimir Putin, which would significantly expand the U.K.'s sanctions regime in unintended ways, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • EPO Decision Significantly Relaxes Patent Priority Approach

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    In a welcome development for patent applicants, a recent European Patent Office decision redefines the way that entitlement to priority is assessed, significantly relaxing the previous approach and making challenges to the right to priority in post-grant opposition proceedings far more difficult, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Landmark EU Climate Case May Shape Future Disputes

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    The European Court of Human Rights' recent hearing in its first-ever climate change case Agostinho v. Portugal, concerning human rights violation claims due to countries' failure to curb emissions, may develop the law on admissibility and guide future climate disputes before domestic courts, say Stefanie Spancken-Monz and Leane Meyer at Freshfields.

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