Six years since the Infected Blood inquiry launched, the scandal poses questions about the real challenges that vulnerable victims face when dealing with a complex legal system.
Simmons & Simmons takes on communications provider Unify Simmons & Simmons filed a new part 7 claim in the Commercial Court on 30 April against corporate communications tech company Unify Software and Solutions. A part 7 claim seeks monetary damages to resolve a dispute. Unify, which is owned by Canadian telecommunications company Mitel, develops and […]
Competition specialist Hausfeld has lost its co-instruction mandate on Justin Gutmann’s boundary fares class action. Since 22 February, Charles Lyndon has been the sole representation for the class representative as the boundary fares case rolls through the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Hausfeld had been co-instructed alongside Charles Lyndon on the Gutmann claims throughout the dispute, […]
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your weekly insider’s guide to the UK’s litigation market. It is the May 1 and hundreds of lawyers are stepping into their first day as new partners. Litigation promotions were a mixed bag across US firms. Several major players, namely Quinn Emanuel and Hogan Lovells, did not […]
It was the turn of the general counsels last week to give their perspective on the Post Office Horizon scandal. Here’s what they had to say about Womble Bond Dickinson, Linklaters and litigation funders. For live updates, check out our live blog. Funders react to Womble Bond’s plan to “stretch out the litigation process” Earlier […]
Luxury goods giant LVMH joins interchange fee dispute French luxury goods behemoth LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has swung into the merchant interchange fees dispute with over 25 separate claims filed by its subsidiaries against Visa and Mastercard between 24 and 25 April. The Lawyer understands that the claims form an addition to the long-running […]
One Essex Court has picked two of its silks to succeed Lord Grabiner KC, as he prepares to stand down as head of chambers after three decades. Sonia Tolaney KC and Daniel Toledano KC will succeed Grabiner as joint heads of One Essex Court, The Lawyer can exclusively reveal. It was announced last November that […]
Computer giant IBM’s mainframe litigation lands in court Today (29 April) Quinn Emanuel takes on Clifford Chance in the Technology and Construction Court for a 28-day trial that will be watched closely by tech companies and regulators across the globe. This mammoth litigation is one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2024. IBM brought […]
Formula 1 team Alpine Racing has filed a claim against its official sustainability platform partner, green investment business Ecowatt. Represented by Bird & Bird, the Renault-owned team filed a part 7 “general commercial contracts and arrangements” claim in the England and Wales Commercial Court against its sustainability partner on 25 April. A part 7 claim […]
The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling made against Saudi businessman Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, in a claim brought by the liquidators of one of the Sheikh’s former companies, MBI International & Partners. Mishcon de Reya represented the Sheikh in the appeal, which was brought on the basis that Mrs Justice Smith […]
The High Court has ordered that the jurisdiction challenge in the $13.8bn dispute brought by jailed Russian businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov be heard this Autumn following a successful expedition application brought by the claimants. In December 2022, Magomedov was sentenced to 19 years in jail for embezzlement alongside his brother, having already spent more than four years […]
HSBC has prevailed in the £240m claim against it, which alleged deceit, conspiracy and joint tort-feasance against the banking giant. The case was listed as one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024 and saw HSBC instruct Norton Rose Fulbright to defend two jointly managed actions being pursued by Edwin Coe and Stewarts on behalf of […]
On Monday, an explosive trial between IBM UK and Swiss software developer LzLabs is set to commence for nine weeks, with Quinn Emanuel and Clifford Chance going head-to-head for their respective clients. Quinn Emanuel-backed IBM brought the lawsuit in 2021, alleging it is “inconceivable” that LzLabs could have developed its rival technology – which can […]
The Supreme Court has upheld an anti-suit injunction against a Gazprom subsidiary, potentially halting €440m proceedings in Russia. The Gazprom part-owned special purpose entity, RusChemAlliance (RCA), had brought a damages claim against the bank UniCredit in Russia concerning an aborted contract following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. UniCredit instructed Latham & Watkins in its pursuit of […]
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your insider’s guide to the UK litigation market. As the Lords and the Commons finally settled on the new Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill in the early hours of Tuesday morning, attention began to shift to how the Government planned, both practically and legally, to […]
Womble Bond Dickinson is facing a multimillion-pound negligence claim filed by former clients over a failed real estate redevelopment project in Kensington. The claimants, businessman Kristian Siem, property developer Steven Wake and his company Chapters, were advised by WBD senior counsel (then partner) Robert Drewett in their redevelopment project in 2017. They allege that the […]
Litigation funders will be keeping a close eye on an upcoming review into third-party funding regulation, proposed caps on returns, as well as litigation costs. The Civil Justice Council is looking to produce a full report by the summer of 2025. The review follows an increased focus on litigation funders and their role in disputes, […]
Analysis of recent fines suggests that environmental prosecutions are resulting in more substantial fines, especially for ‘very large organisations’.
Merck Sharp & Dohme brought an appeal to the Supreme Court (Court) following its unsuccessful appeal to the Court of Appeal against the High Court’s finding that its supplementary protection certificate (SPC) for its cholesterol-reducing combination product, Inegy, was invalid under Articles 3(a) and 3(c) of Regulation No 469/2009 (SPC Regulation).
David Lowe and Emma Carr discuss the impact of sanctions on contracts. They explain when sanctions could be a force majeure and what happens if there are no relevant sanctions but you still want to get out of the contract.
ClientEarth recently took the first step in a legal action against the board of directors of Shell, notifying them of a potential claim for failing to adequately prepare the company for a transition to net zero and manage climate risk. According to ClientEarth, this poses serious questions for the long-term value of the company.
Recent Massachusetts high court decision holds late wage payments are always subject to treble damages, upending common practice for Massachusetts employers
I often hear commercial dispute resolution practitioners, unlike their personal injury and clinical negligence colleagues, say “Our clients are not interested in ATE Insurance or disbursement funding because they can afford to pay disbursements and bear the opponents costs if the case is unsuccessful”. I have a few things to say about this view.
Currently taking place in the Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia, US, and with a celebrity witness line-up and livestream, Johnny Depp v Amber Heard is sure to attract the most column inches of any libel case this year.
A company operated by a man claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous author of the white paper ‘Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System’, has had service of its claim form set aside in proceedings concerning bitcoin said to be worth approximately £3 billion.
In Expropriation Law: 2021 A Year in Review, Gowling WLG’s national Expropriation Law Group has summarized several complex and compelling expropriation cases from across Canada in 2021. In the article, the team highlights a number of important issues and key takeaways for those parties involved in the expropriation process.
In February 2022, in 1196278 Ontario Inc. dba SASSAFRAZ v 815470 Ontario Ltd. dba SASSAFRAS COASTAL KITCHEN, 2022 FC 116 the Federal Court granted the well-known Toronto restaurant Sassafraz judgment against the operator of a restaurant operating as “Sassafras” in the Niagara region of Ontario.
The recent judgment of Mr Justice Barrett in Goode Concrete v CRH Plc, Roadstone Wood Limited and Kilsaran Concrete [2022] IEHC 189 provides useful guidance on applications to strike- out interrogatories where they are prolix, oppressive, unnecessary or scandalous.
ClientEarth are taking ground breaking steps by pursing shareholder litigation against Shell.
Ryanair launches fresh battle for the skies Budget air travel behemoth Ryanair launched a part 7 claim against the UK’s air traffic control operator, NATS (National Air Traffic Services) in the Commercial Court on Friday (19 April). The part 7 claim, which seeks monetary redress for claimed damages, is set to tackle “general commercial contracts […]
Moderna takes on Pfizer in Covid-19 patent clash Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna are due to go head to head in the Patents Court tomorrow (23 April) for a 16-day trial concerning the Covid-19 vaccines they developed during the pandemic. Freshfields is representing the claimant Moderna, while Pfizer is being represented by Taylor Wessing for […]
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your weekly insider’s guide to the UK litigation market. This week, the UK Government wants more people to say they’re sorry, while we consider Monckton Chambers’ strange collection of celebrity tenants. But first, Monday saw the opening day of another Russian oligarch mega-battle in London’s Commercial Court. […]
Dr Martens gives Temu the boot in new IP claim AirWair, the company behind Dr Martens, is taking on budget online marketplace Temu, registered as “Whaleco”, in a new part 7 “passing off and trade marks” claim filed in the High Court’s Intellectual Property List on 9 April. AirWair is represented by Lewis Silkin in […]
Mammoth SKAT case finally hits Commercial Court for longest-ever hearing The Danish Customs and Tax Administration (SKAT) begins its trial in the Commercial Court today (15 April), marking what is due to be the longest scheduled hearing in the Court’s history. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024, the 12-month trial will tackle […]
This week on Spotlight, we take a look at the global investigations, white collar and fraud (IWCF) practice group at Hogan Lovells. Hogan Lovells’ investigations, white collar and fraud practice: Globally, the practice group holds over 120 lawyers and operates in the UK, the US, Germany, Spain, France, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Mexico and Brazil. Many lawyers […]
