Significant Cases
Libyan Investment Authority & Others -v- King & Others [2023] EWHC 265 (Ch) – Acting for the successful defendants in a High Court fraud claim brought in 2016 by the sovereign wealth fund of Libya in relation to a failed joint venture to develop a hotel on the outskirts of London. Following a 5-week trial before Mr Justice Miles, the claim against our clients was successfully defended in all respects, with indemnity costs awarded against the claimants. The claimants instructed Hogan Lovells.
Anford AG-v-TALCO Management Limited – ICC Arbitration in London concerning sale of aluminium fluoride, acting for the Swiss claimant against a BVI defendant. Case settled in October 2020.
Vald Nielsen enforcement work – Acting for the successful claimants in the enforcement of a judgment in the Commercial Court for damages, interest and costs in excess of £12 million (Vald Nielsen Holding A/S & anor-v-Baldarino & Ors [2019] EWHC 1926 (Comm)).
Von Westenholz & Others -v- Gregson & Anor [2022] EWHC 2947 (Ch) – Successful High Court claim on behalf of shareholders against the directors of companies placed into administration after paying a substantial dividend to other shareholders. The Court decided that the directors had held our clients’ shares on trust and were therefore personally liable for the dividends payable on those shares. Indemnity costs were awarded to our clients, together with an additional 10% uplift on damages.
Stirling Mortimer litigation – Acting in the Commercial Court for Stirling Mortimer Global Property Fund PCC Ltd in connection with the recovery of misappropriations of about €60 million by a director, the client’s solicitors and their associates. Obtained and enforced worldwide freezing injunction in the sum of €45 million.
Subsequent claim against the auditors of the solicitors, who it was alleged had negligently failed to identify the misappropriations from the solicitors’ client account. Settlement was achieved without admission of liability.
Micula & Ors -v- Romania [2020] UKSC 5 – Successfully acting for the first claimant / respondent in the Supreme Court in the enforcement of a US$250 million ICSID award. The European Commission intervened in the case. Croft Solicitors took over the case from Shearman & Sterling. White & Case acted for the other claimants.
Zheng Yongxiong v Gate Ventures PLC. Acting for the defendant PLC in the High Court defence of an application for an administration order.
R (Miller and another)-v-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (“Miller 1”) [2016] EWHC 2768 (Admin) and [2017] UKSC 5 – Acting in the Divisional and Supreme Courts for a group of British citizens residing in the EU. The case established that an Act of Parliament was required to trigger the UK’s exit from the EU under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
