Edward Granger

Edward has significant experience of claims (and related applications) concerning allegations of fraud or other forms of dishonesty, including claims in deceit, bribery, dishonest assistance, and conspiracy.

Edward’s notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for Merck Mercuriadis in his defence against a £200-million claim by Hipgnosis Music Limited in respect of alleged dishonest breaches of directors’ duties and dishonest assistance by third parties (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting (as sole counsel) for a global provider of business management software in its claim against a former employee for fabricating invoices with a purported value of over £45 million;
• Acting for over 200 investors who lost money in a fraudulent investment scheme in their claim against a leading firm of solicitors (led by Thomas Munby KC);
• Acting in proceedings concerning the measure of damages payable for claims in deceit and dishonest assistance in relation to various classic-car transactions (led by Gregory Banner KC);
• Assisting David Mumford KC in substantial BVI litigation arising out of allegedly fraudulent mismanagement of the financial affairs of a high-net-worth individual;
• Acting (as sole counsel) in a claim for the rescission of an asset purchase agreement on the grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation;
• Acting in proceedings concerning an aborted property transaction in North-West London, involving issues relating to bribery and the law of agency (led by David Mumford KC).

Edward has also advised several clients who have been victims of “authorised push payment” frauds.

Edward has acted in numerous domestic and international commercial disputes. He is regularly involved in proceedings in the Business and Property Courts (including the Commercial Court and the Business List in the Chancery Division); and he has been instructed in arbitration proceedings under a variety of arbitral rules, including ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, and SCC.

Edward’s notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for JD Wetherspoon plc against the Budweiser Brewing Group in a significant contractual dispute (led by Gregory Banner KC);
• Advising lessors of aircraft in relation to possible claims in arbitration and litigation against Russian lessees and associated guarantors in circumstances where such lessees had failed to return to the aircraft to the lessors (led by Thomas Munby KC);
• Acting in expedited proceedings for certain members of the Sex Pistols in their claim against John Lydon (aka “Johnny Rotten”), by which they sought to ensure that the band’s music could be used in a miniseries on the band (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting in high-value ICC arbitration proceedings concerning a joint venture engaged in the construction of public infrastructure in Nigeria;
• Acting in high-value ICC arbitration proceedings in relation to a dispute concerning the development of oilfields in central Asia;
• Acting in high-value HKIAC mediation and arbitration proceedings concerning the breakdown in a relationship between joint venturers seeking to exploit certain television programmes in mainland China;
• Acting (as sole counsel) for an aircraft lessor in an action to recover millions of dollars in unpaid rent from certain Chinese airlines;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a mining company on its claim to recover a multi-million-dollar loan from various international defendants.

Edward also has experience with commercial matters concerning the meaning and effect of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Edward is frequently instructed on company and partnership matters, including corporate governance disputes, shareholder disputes, claims for breaches of directors’ duties, directors’ disqualification matters, disputes between joint venturers, claims regarding the existence and dissolution of partnerships, breach-of-duty claims by partners, and allegations of dissipation of partnership assets.

Edward’s notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for Merck Mercuriadis in his defence against a £200-million claim by Hipgnosis Music Limited in respect of alleged breaches of directors’ duties (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting (as sole counsel) for the defendant company in a claim under s.125 of the Companies Act 2006 for rectification of its register of members, involving allegations of breaches of the company’s articles of association and the requirements of ss.691 and 694 of the Companies Act 2006 regarding the purchase by a company of its own shares;
• Acting (as sole counsel) for a defendant manager of high-profile music artists in a claim brought by another music manager to the effect that a partnership had existed between the two of them, and that the defendant had dissipated its assets;
• Acting (as sole counsel) in an LCIA arbitration dispute between a law firm and one of its former partners regarding the latter’s alleged ongoing entitlement to a share of the firm’s profits;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a high-value corporate group on the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009 and the registration obligation on overseas companies;
• Acting for members of Culture Club (George O’Dowd (aka “Boy George”), Mikey Craig, and Roy Hay) against former drummer, Jon Moss, in a partnership dispute concerning the fallout from the latter’s departure from the band (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Assisting David Mumford KC in an appeal from a decision of the High Court of Justice of the BVI which, inter alia, concerned the circumstances in which company directors could effect a compulsory redemption of shares;
• Acting as sole counsel in a dispute regarding the legal and beneficial ownership of certain shareholdings in an English company;
• Advising (as sole counsel) the members of an English power metal band as to whether they were acting in partnership, and their rights to the band name.

Prior to the UK’s departure from the European Union, Edward was also regularly instructed to act for companies seeking to complete cross-border mergers under The Companies (Cross-Border Mergers) Regulations 2007.

Edward regularly takes instructions on a variety of insolvency and asset-recovery matters.

Edward’s notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for the appointing party in opposition to an expedited application challenging the appointment of joint administrators over a technology company specialising in post-quantum computing (led by Nicholas Peacock KC);
• Advising Ed Sheeran and his fellow successful claimants on enforcement action following judgment in Sheeran & Ors v Chokri & ors and in light of the liquidation of one of the defendants (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Assisting David Mumford KC in an appeal from a decision of the High Court of Justice of the BVI by which orders appointing receivers and joint provisional liquidators had been set aside;
• Advising (as sole counsel) the liquidators of a medical equipment company on an application under s.236 of the Insolvency Act 1986 in circumstances where it was understood that millions of pounds of investors’ funds had gone astray;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a Pro14 rugby union side in relation to claims by the liquidators of a kit supplier.

Edward is also experienced in matters concerning contested winding-up and bankruptcy petitions, and applications for injunctions to restrain the presentation of a winding-up petition.

Edward frequently undertakes intellectual property work (principally, concerning matters of copyright law) in the course of his instructions in the field of Media and Entertainment.

Edward’s notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for Warner Chappell Music against the estate of the artist known as Price in relation to the enforcement of an Italian copyright injunction prohibiting the use of the hit song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Advising (as sole counsel) a music artist in a dispute with a former representative of a discontinued record label regarding ownership of the sound recording copyright in a number of popular acid-house and electronic records from the 1980s;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a Pakistan-based record label, which alleges that its copyright in a significant catalogue of sound recordings is being infringed by a UK company;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a UK publishing house in relation to a copyright claim brought by a photographer regarding certain images of a famous pop band.

Edward has developed a significant practice in the field of Media & Entertainment (for which he is ranked in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500), having been instructed on numerous significant led cases in this field and on cases in which he has acted as sole counsel.

Edward’s experience and expertise in contractual disputes, civil fraud, company and partnership matters, insolvency, and copyright means that he is well-placed to deal with the broad range of disputes that arise in this sector.  

Edward has been instructed by numerous high-profile music artists and managers, record labels, music publishers, music administrators, TV/film companies, and content financiers.

His notable cases in this area include:

• Acting for Merck Mercuriadis (former manager of (among others) Beyoncé, Elton John, and Guns N’ Roses; and founder of one-time FTSE 250-company Hipgnosis Songs Fund) in his defence against a £200-million claim by Hipgnosis Music Limited in respect of alleged breaches of directors’ duties (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Advising Ed Sheeran and his fellow successful claimants on enforcement action following judgment in Sheeran & Ors v Chokri & ors (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Advising the agent of an internationally acclaimed and multi-award winning popstar in respect of allegations that contracts had been procured by undue influence or constituted an unreasonable restraint of trade (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting for members of Culture Club (George O’Dowd (aka “Boy George”), Mikey Craig and Roy Hay) against former drummer, Jon Moss, in a partnership dispute concerning the fallout from the latter’s departure from the band (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting (as sole counsel) for the production company of the TV series “This Town” (written and created for BBC One by Steven Knight) in a dispute with a special-effects provider;
• Acting in expedited proceedings for certain members of the Sex Pistols in their claim against John Lydon (aka “Johnny Rotten”), by which they sought to ensure that the band’s music could be used in a miniseries on the band (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Acting (as sole counsel) for a defendant manager of high-profile music artists in a claim brought by another music manager to the effect that a partnership had existed between the two of them, and that the defendant had dissipated its assets;
• Acting for Warner Chappell Music against the estate of the artist known as Price in relation to the enforcement of an Italian copyright injunction prohibiting the use of the hit song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” (led by Edmund Cullen KC);
• Advising (as sole counsel) an American songwriter in respect of her claim that her publisher and record label had failed to account to her in respect of certain royalties;
• Advising (as sole counsel) a music sub-publisher in respect of a contemplated claim in unjust enrichment in circumstances where another sub-publisher has wrongly registered with PRS for Music as the rightsholder of hundreds of compositions;