Discovery Land Company, LLC & Ors v Jirehouse & Ors [2019] EWHC 2249 (Ch)

Davis Woolfe acted for the claimants in successfully securing a contempt judgment against Stephen David Jones. The matters arise from DLC instructing a firm of solicitors in London called Jirehouse in relation to their purchase of Taymouth Castle in Scotland. There was a misappropriation of the purchase funds in excess of USD$20 million and the discovery of a legal charge against the property without DLC’s knowledge. Davis Woolfe successfully secured a contempt judgment against the principal at Jirehouse, Stephen David Jones for his failure to disclose the whereabouts of USD$16,050,000 and obtained judgments in excess of £12 million against Jirehouse and other relevant entities.

Fay of London Limited v Axis Specialty Europe SE (Claim No. BL-2022-001754)

Davis Woolfe is acting for Fay of London Limited in respect of a claim against Axis Specialty Europe SE arising from loans procured by Fay of London’s former solicitors, Jirehouse, without Fay of London’s knowledge or consent.

Fay of London instructed Jirehouse, a London-based firm of solicitors, in 2011. In or around September/October 2014, Jirehouse entered into a loan agreement with Bridging Finance Limited entirely without Fay of London’s authority or knowledge. That loan was secured by a legal charge over Fay of London’s property.

Following the misappropriation of the loan monies and the subsequent discovery of the legal charge registered against the property, Fay of London brings this claim to recover its losses. The defendant is the professional indemnity insurer that provided the primary layer of cover to Jirehouse, in the sum of £3 million per claim, at the relevant times. Given Jirehouse has entered into insolvency, the claim is brought pursuant to the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.

Discovery Land Company LLC & Ors v Axis Specialty Europe SE [2024] EWCA Civ 7

Successful acting on behalf of DLC in respect of a declaration sought under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) 2010. The claim arises out of the misappropriation of the sums in excess of USD$20 million for the purchase of Taymouth Castle. The insurers were seeking to decline coverage based on allegations of fraudulent activity by the principal in the law firm, Mr Stephen David Jones of Jirehouse.

The case involved complex issues of aggregation, dishonesty and policy construction. Davis Woolfe and counsel were able to secure declarations, which meant the primary layer insurers, Axis, were liable to pay £3 million per claim. This was also refused, solidifying the Davis Woolfe track record of success at every stage of proceedings.

Axis appealed to the Court of Appeal, challenging the interpretation of the exclusion and aggregation clauses, but the appeal was dismissed on both grounds. Following this, Axis applied for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court on the point of aggregation but was also refused.

Howtel Limited v Constantine Storage Services Limited (Claim No. CL-2024-00637)

Davis Woolfe is assisting an art collector in a matter concerning the sale of a high-profile painting by one of the greatest and most-influential artists of the 20th century. The painting was sold by our client to a buyer who had obtained third party funding from a specialist funder in order to acquire the painting. The lender sought to create a lien over the painting as security for the loan, despite title not passing to the buyer until all payments had been made to the seller (our client). Subsequently, the buyer defaulted on the payments to the seller. Despite this, the funder asserted security over the asset which is disputed by the seller. To add further complexity, the painting is currently being stored in the funder’s vault by a specialist art storage company.

Peganov & Ors v Axis Specialty Europe SE (Claim No. CL-2025-000094)

Davis Woolfe is assisting the claimants, who had instructed a firm of solicitors in London called Jirehouse. Jirehouse was intervened by the SRA in May 2019 and Mr Stephen David Jones (one of the partners at Jirehouse) was committed to prison for contempt in 2019. In or around 2017, a third party transferred USD$5 million to Jirehouse on behalf of our client. However, unauthorised transfers were made from the claimants’ account which had not been authorised by or communicated to our clients. As a result, our clients have brought a claim in order to recover its losses. The defendant is the professional indemnity insurer which provided the primary layer of cover, of £3 million per claim, to Jirehouse at the times relevant to the Claimant’s claims. Given Jirehouse has entered into insolvency, the Claimant stands in the shoes of Jirehouse as against the Defendant insurer pursuant to the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.

Richard James Gray v SIG Trading Limited (Claim No. BL-2025-000457)

Davis Woolfe is instructed on behalf of a High-Net-Worth Individual in relation to the defendant’s breach of a Share Purchase Agreement. Our client, who was the founder and former chief executive of an independent drylining distributor brings the dispute against its former rival distributer, who purchased our client’s company in 2021. Pursuant to the defendant’s takeover, the defendant alleges that it failed to generate any profit which meant that under the terms of the SPA, no deferred consideration payment would be forthcoming.

Liquidation of Esquiline Finance Limited

Davis Woolfe acts on behalf of the Joint Liquidators of Esquiline Finance Ltd in relation to a complex and multifaceted insolvency arising from misappropriated funds in excess of $20,000,000. Collaborating seamlessly with counsel, forensic accountants and connections at international law firms to potentially bring enforcement proceedings in this cross-border matter covering various jurisdictions, including Scotland, England, Iceland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, United States (Arizona), Jersey, St Kitts & Nevis, Bermuda.

Dispute against Marylebone Cricket Club

Davis Woolfe successfully defended its client against allegations made against him by Marylebone Cricket Club – a body corporate by Royal Charter. Marylebone Cricket Club was defrauded by a former employee – MCC’s Head of Ticketing. According to the MCC,  its former employee accepted bribes by way of cash payments and benefits in kind including, allegedly, from our client. MCC, which threatened to bring a claim against our client therefore claimed against its former employee for breach of contract and fiduciary duty and against a number of defendants, including our client, in the torts of bribery and unlawful means conspiracy. However, as a result of intervention from our firm, all allegations against our client were subsequently dropped in circumstances where no bribery or fraud had been committed by our innocent client.

Additional Cases of Note:

• Acting for various clients in relation to a number of shareholder disputes and claims relating to failure to make earn-out payments pursuant to sale agreements/share purchase agreements.
• Acting in respect of a professional negligence claim on behalf of a client against its former accountants in respect of advice received in relation to a tax avoidance scheme.