HMRC secures £190m VAT appeal win against Bolt June 17, 2026 HMRC has won an appeal against ride hailing platform Bolt over how it calculates and pays its VAT, overturning previous decisions that had ruled in favour of Bolt. This follows an appeal hearing last month brought by the tax authority, which had questioned whether Bolt could use the tour operators’ margin scheme (TOMS). Under this [...]
From bathroom to courtroom: Lush chief’s squabble set to fizz in £6m trial June 17, 2026 The former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush is set to face off against the current chief executive in a 19-day trial that spans more than 30 years of the company’s history and may cost over £6m in legal fees. The dispute stems from former chief executive Andrew Gerrie’s 2014 exit from the company, after [...]
Ex-Lush chief’s lawyers hike costs to ensure their AI model isn’t trained by juniors June 16, 2026 Lawyers for the former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush, Andrew Gerrie, have hiked their fees ahead of a trial this month, partly as they will not allow junior staff to train their AI model, City AM can reveal. A court heard this morning that Gerrie’s legal team from Brown Rudnick have pushed up a [...]
Patagonia faces PR backlash over trademark lawsuit with drag queen June 2, 2026 Patagonia is in hot water over its legal action against a drag queen, but as lawyers suggest, businesses face a double-edged sword when it comes to protecting their trademarks. A drag queen artist and environmentalist, Wyn Wiley, was sued by the US outdoor retailer Patagonia, which alleged the performer violated its trademark by going professionally [...]
Richard Desmond hit with £40m bill over ‘fanciful’ lottery feud June 1, 2026 Media tycoon Richard Desmond’s company Northern and Shell has been ordered to pay over £40m after a two-year-long legal feud with the Gambling Commission over the 2022 National Lottery license. A High Court judge has ordered media giant Northern and Shell and its subsidiary, the New Lottery Company, to cough up 75 per cent of [...]
Emma Sleep agrees to change ‘illegal’ sales practices following court settlement May 28, 2026 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has agreed a partial settlement with mattress company Emma Sleep after it admitted to breaking consumer law over its pricing tactics. The settlement is legally binding, so if Emma Sleep fails to comply, it “could result in contempt of court proceedings, potentially leading to significant penalties,” the CMA said. [...]
Former Tory MP set to call Sunak in libel spat with Hancock May 20, 2026 The Court of Appeal is set to hear the latest chapter in a libel claim brought by expelled Tory MP Andrew Bridgen against former ex-health minister Matt Hancock MP. The legal battle between the ex-politicians erupted in January 2023, when Hancock posted on social media about Bridgen after the Tories suspended him over a “disgraceful” [...]
Norwegian billionaire forced back to London in £285m Deutsche Bank dispute May 12, 2026 Norwegian billionaire Alexander Vik has been ordered to return to the City to be interrogated about his hidden assets during a 13-year-long legal dispute with Deutsche Bank. The bank first sued the business mogul’s company, Sebastian Holdings, in 2009 after the company suffered a series of losses on foreign exchange and equities trade deals during [...]
Divorce costs hit finances beyond lawyer fees, says Octopus legal group May 6, 2026 Divorce costs are financially draining for separating couples in the UK beyond just legal fees, according to a new report from Octopus-owned legal service, Amicable. The report, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults who have either divorced, separated, or dissolved a civil partnership over the last 10 years, found that almost 40 per cent said their [...]
Elon Musk settles lawsuit over Twitter takeover for $1.5m May 5, 2026 Tech tycoon Elon Musk has finally put one of his longest-running legal battles to rest after reaching a $1.5m (£1.2m) settlement with the US regulator. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil lawsuit against the billionaire, alleging violations of securities laws in the run-up to his 2022 purchase of Twitter. Musk, who [...]