Derek Arthur Richardson v Mark James Robertson & Ors

Facts

In 2013 the claimant, Derek Richardson, purchased Moonstone Holdings Limited, a Maltese company which owned 98% of the shares in Wasps Holdings Limited, the owner of the Wasps rugby club. Between 2015 and 2017 the first and second defendants recommended that he restructure his holdings through a Maltese "SICAV", and on 10 April 2017 he exchanged his Moonstone shares for non-voting "investor shares" in a sub-fund of Jacaranda Special Situations Sicav Plc. His case is that he thereby lost control of the structure without realising it, having been repeatedly told he remained the ultimate beneficial owner, including by a structure chart sent by the first defendant on 27 September 2017 describing him as "UBO". In around October 2018 AIB agreed to provide Wasps Holdings with an overdraft conditional upon a personal guarantee, and on 29 October 2018 the claimant entered into a guarantee and indemnity with AIB capped at £2.5m, relying, he says, on those representations. AIB demanded payment on 3 August 2022 and issued its own claim against him on 29 April 2025. In these proceedings, begun by claim form issued on 6 April 2023, the claimant applied on 7 October 2025 to add three new causes of action and to join Mr Holland. Conspiracy, dishonest assistance and the joinder were conceded; the deceit claim was resisted on limitation grounds.