Elygra Limited v Samantha Jade Lynch

Facts

The applicant company, Elygra Limited, sought to restrain the respondent, Ms Samantha Jade Lynch, from presenting a winding up petition against it. The petition was to be founded on a statutory demand dated 18 June 2026 for £52,415.85. That sum derived from an order of the county court at Chester, made in January 2026, giving effect to a settlement agreement of an employment and discrimination dispute that Ms Lynch had proposed to bring in the Employment Tribunal. The agreement was concluded through ACAS conciliation on 29 September 2025, signed by Mr Guy Bartlett purportedly on behalf of the company on 2 October 2025 and by Ms Lynch on 6 October 2025. Separate High Court proceedings, begun on 9 September 2025 by the company and its holding company against Ms Lynch, Mr Bartlett and others, put in issue Mr Bartlett's authority to act for the company, and Ms Lynch had acknowledged service of them. The company said it learned of the county court order only with the statutory demand. It applied to set the order aside on 30 June 2026 and, on 14 August 2026, to set aside the settlement agreement. Interim relief was granted on 10 July 2026, and the matter returned for a one-day hearing before Judge Hodge KC.