KB-2025-002427 - [2025] EWHC 1993 (KB)

Neutral Citation Number: [2025] EWHC 1993 (KB)

Case No: KB-2025-002427

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

KING’S BENCH DIVISION

Royal Courts of Justice

Strand, London, WC2A 2LL

Date: 31 July 2025

Before:

MR JONATHAN GLASSON KC

SITTING AS A DEPUTY JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

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Between:

HATTONS OF LONDON LTD	Claimant
- and – (1) THE KNIGHTSBRIDGE COLLECTION LIMITED (2) ANDREW PICKERILL (3) ALEXANDER JEFFERY (4) DANIEL FARMER (5) MOHAMMED KASHIF AZIZ (6) WILLIAM SHORE (7) NICK HARVEY (8) BENJAMIN BRADSHAW
	Defendants

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Mr Daniel Northall KC (instructed by Herrington Carmichael LLP) for the Claimant

Mr Andrew Pickerill (the Second Defendant) appeared in person

Mr Nicholas Cobill (instructed by Knights Solicitors) for the Fourth Defendant

Mr Ghazan Mahmood (instructed by Lexadeen Solicitors) for the Fifth Defendant

Mr William Shore (the Sixth Defendant) appeared in person

The First, Third, Seventh and Eighth Defendants did not appear and were not represented

Hearing date: 17 July 2025

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Approved Judgment

This judgment was handed down remotely at 10.30 a.m. on 31^st July 2025 by circulation to the parties or their representatives by e-mail and by release to the National Archives.

MR JONATHAN GLASSON KC:

This is my judgment on an application made by Hattons of London Ltd (“the Claimant”) for an interim prohibitory and mandatory injunction against the Defendants arising from an alleged “breach of contract, inducement of breach and unlawful means conspiracy and breach of confidentiality”.

The First Defendant (“D1”) was incorporated in October 2024, and its business model and practice are said to rely heavily (if not exclusively) on using the proprietary information and confidential information of the Claimant. D1’s sole registered director and shareholder is D8. At the start of the hearing, I was told that D8 had applied to liquidate the company.

The individual Defendants are all former employees of the Claimant. In the case of the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Defendants (“D2”, “D3”, “D4”, “D5”, “D6”, “D7”), they are recent former employees employed as Account Managers. The Eighth Defendant (“D8”) was employed as an Account Manager until October 2022.