February 26, 2026
A Palestinian family of six living in Gaza applied for entry clearance to the UK to join their sponsor, the father’s younger brother, a British citizen. The Court of Appeal allowed the Secretary of State’s appeal, holding that the tribunals below had applied the wrong legal test for family life...
February 26, 2026
Four asylum seekers challenged the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s decisions to accommodate them at Wethersfield, a former RAF base in Essex, arguing the accommodation was inadequate for their needs and that the systems and policies governing allocations were unlawful. The Court rejected the systemic challenges to the...
February 25, 2026
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland challenged a coroner's decision to disclose gists of information from documents subject to Public Interest Immunity certificates relating to a 1994 murder in Belfast. The Supreme Court established that courts reviewing PII decisions must form their own view of the public interest balance...
February 25, 2026
A young girl and her father challenged Christian religious education and collective worship in a Northern Ireland primary school as contrary to Article 2 Protocol 1 ECHR. The Supreme Court held that the core syllabus was not objective, critical and pluralistic, and the parental right of withdrawal was insufficient to...
February 25, 2026
Charles Saatchi sought permission to continue a derivative claim on behalf of Triptych Logistics Limited against its sole director, Rahul Gajjar, alleging misappropriation of company assets including unauthorised loans, payroll payments, vehicle purchases, and credit card misuse. The court granted permission, finding sufficient merit in the claims. Facts Charles Saatchi...
February 25, 2026
Mr Rwamba, twice disqualified as a company director (the second time for breaching conditions of earlier leave to act), appealed refusal of leave under s.17 Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 to act as director of two companies. The High Court allowed the appeal, holding the judge wrongly gave extra weight...
February 25, 2026
A property sale contract was purportedly made with a company that had not yet been incorporated. The claimant sought to hold the defendants personally liable under Section 36C of the Companies Act 1985. The defendants argued the contract contained an 'agreement to the contrary' excluding the statutory effect. The court...
February 25, 2026
Rock, a minority shareholder, petitioned under s.459 Companies Act 1985 alleging unfair prejudice when the majority shareholder ISS caused the company to sell its subsidiary at an alleged undervalue. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding no undervalue as the sale price represented the best reasonably obtainable price. Facts...
February 25, 2026
Mr Holland directed 42 composite companies through a corporate director structure. When the companies became insolvent owing corporation tax, HMRC sought to hold him personally liable as a de facto director. The Supreme Court held that acting solely as director of a corporate director did not make him a de...
February 25, 2026
Directors of Regal used their position to acquire shares in a subsidiary company, Amalgamated, which they subsequently sold at profit. The House of Lords held that directors in a fiduciary position must account for profits made by reason of that position, regardless of good faith or whether the company suffered...
February 23, 2026
A dispute over costs following litigation concerning recovery of a 'disturbance payment'. Both parties appealed the judge's costs order. The Court of Appeal dismissed both appeals, finding the judge properly exercised his discretion considering the chronology of offers, conduct of parties, and Part 36 offer implications. Facts The Claimant (Thinc...
February 22, 2026
An administrator of a company in insolvency was charged under TULRCA for failing to notify the Secretary of State of redundancies. The Supreme Court held that an administrator is not an 'officer' of the company within section 194(3), applying a constitutional rather than functional test to the meaning of 'officer'....
February 22, 2026
Hunter and Smith operated a ticket touting business using bots and false identities to bulk-purchase tickets in breach of vendors' terms, then resold them at inflated prices on secondary websites without warning consumers of cancellation risks. Their convictions for fraudulent trading under s.993 Companies Act 2006 were upheld, establishing that...
February 22, 2026
P&ID sought costs to be awarded in naira following Nigeria's successful challenge to fraudulent arbitration awards worth over $11 billion. The Supreme Court held that costs should be awarded in sterling, being the currency in which Nigeria's solicitors billed and were paid, rejecting the argument that costs should reflect the...
February 22, 2026
A geotechnical company was convicted of corporate manslaughter after an employee died when an unsupported 3.5 metre trial pit collapsed on him. This was the first conviction under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, establishing that small companies with a sole controlling director can be liable for gross...
February 22, 2026
The Secretary of State sought disqualification of Mr Bairstow, former chairman of Queens Moat Houses plc, for approving grossly misleading financial statements overstating profits by tens of millions of pounds. Despite no dishonesty being alleged, the court found gross negligence in failing to supervise delegated accounting functions and disqualified him...
February 22, 2026
Primeo Fund, a Cayman Islands investment fund, suffered losses through the Madoff Ponzi scheme. The Privy Council considered whether the reflective loss rule barred Primeo's claims against its administrator and custodian. The Board held the rule did not apply as Primeo's losses arose before it became a shareholder in Herald...
February 22, 2026
A double derivative action brought by John Snr's sons against their uncle Ronald, alleging he fraudulently transferred Casterbridge's assets to himself or his family's trust, depriving them of their 30% entitlement. The court dismissed all claims, finding no fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, or de facto directorship established. Facts This...
February 22, 2026
Mr Shepherd, a 50% shareholder in a quasi-partnership company, was wrongfully excluded from management by co-director Mr Williamson following a protected disclosure about bid-rigging. The court found unfair prejudice under s.994 Companies Act 2006 and ordered Mr Williamson to purchase Mr Shepherd's shares at their value on the date of...
February 22, 2026
A wife sought ancillary relief following divorce, claiming properties legally owned by companies controlled by her husband. The Supreme Court held that while the corporate veil could not be pierced under general law or the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, the properties were held on resulting trust for the husband and...
February 22, 2026
Nectrus sought to reopen a refusal of permission to appeal under CPR 52.30, arguing the rule against reflective loss should bar UCP's claim as an ex-shareholder. The Court of Appeal dismissed the application, holding the Supreme Court in Marex had limited the rule to current shareholders only, and Nectrus had...
February 22, 2026
Mr O'Neill, a minority shareholder in a quasi-partnership company, petitioned under section 459 Companies Act 1985 claiming unfair prejudice when profit-sharing arrangements were terminated and promised shares not allocated. The House of Lords held no unfairness existed as no binding promises had been made, establishing key principles on legitimate expectations...
February 22, 2026
Nigerian communities sued Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) and its subsidiary SPDC for oil spill pollution. The Supreme Court held that the claimants had an arguable case that RDS owed them a duty of care due to its control over SPDC's operations, allowing the case to proceed to trial on jurisdiction...
February 20, 2026
Shareholders in a cryptocurrency wallet company disputed whether unfair prejudice petition claims seeking relief for the company (compensation and constructive trust declarations) could proceed without derivative claim permission. The Court of Appeal held such claims are not barred by s.260 Companies Act 2006 and need not satisfy derivative claim requirements...
February 20, 2026
The first compensation order case under sections 15A and 15B of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. Mr Eagling, sole director of Noble Vintners Ltd, misappropriated £559,484 to his own company. He was disqualified for 15 years and ordered to pay compensation to creditors who suffered direct losses from his...
May 3, 2026
National Case Law Archive
May 3, 2026
National Case Law Archive
May 3, 2026
National Case Law Archive