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Founded in 2012, Signature Litigation has grown into one of London’s pre-eminent specialist dispute resolution practices. From the outset, we set out to do things differently: a conflict-free, disputes-only platform designed to give clients the undivided focus and strategic agility that complex, high-stakes matters demand.
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FIND OUT MOREPartners Paul Brehony and Josh Wong, and Senior Associate George Bazinas recently acted in Altrad Investment Authority SAS & Ors v Protopapas & Ors [2025] EWHC 2470 (Ch), resulting in judgment awarded in favour of the Claimants and Signature’s clients, CIHL and Cape Plc. On 30 September 2025, the High Court (Marcus Smith J) handed down judgment in Altrad Investment Authority SAS & Ors v Protopapas [2025] EWHC 2470 (Ch), granting declaratory and injunctive relief confirming that a South Carolina receivership order over Cape Intermediate Holdings Ltd (CIHL) has no effect in England and Wales.
The Court upheld the validity and binding effect of an English-law Settlement Agreement between the Altrad and Cape groups, and granted anti-suit injunctions restraining the South Carolina-appointed receiver, Mr Protopapas, from pursuing sweeping third-party claims in the US. The Court found the transactions to be bona fide and the agreement effectively extinguished the US claims.
This decision builds on last year’s Cape Intermediate Holdings Limited and Cape Plc v Peter D Protopapas [2024] EWHC 2999 (Ch) (read more here), where the Court held that the same South Carolina receivership was “not capable of recognition in this jurisdiction” and restrained the receiver from acting for the Cape companies.
Together, these judgments underscore the English Court’s willingness to protect the integrity of its jurisdiction and the governance of English companies against extraterritorial “long-arm” receiverships. While comity with foreign courts remains a key principle, the Court emphasised that it may—and indeed must—intervene to prevent injustice where foreign proceedings assert an exorbitant jurisdiction that threatens British national interests or undermines the settled governance of English companies, thereby justifying the overriding of comity. As Marcus Smith J observed, this was “quite plainly the sort of exceptional case … where the English court must intervene”.
This judgment was handed down on 30 September 2025, here.
Signature Litigation instructed William Willson of South Square.
