Commercial Court Ruling on US$14 Billion Russian Ports Claim: A Warning Against Jurisdiction Shopping

After three weeks of hearings, the Commercial Court has ruled that a US$14 billion claim concerning the ownership of several Russian ports should not have been brought in the English jurisdiction. ?Mr Justice Bright handed down his judgment last week, refusing jurisdiction over one of the most significant claims to come before the Court in recent years. ?The judgment serves as a warning against jurisdiction shopping and underscores the risks of attempting to shoehorn a claim into the English courts by relying on tenuous claims against “anchor” defendants.

PCB Byrne’s Anthony Riem and Chloe Fleming represented one of the successful defendants, Rosatom, alongside counsel Justin Fenwick QC , Tim Chelmick and Mark Cullen from 4 New Square.

This ruling reinforces the importance of carefully assessing the jurisdictional basis for claims in high-stakes disputes.