Ashley’s practice has seen him act in a range of high-profile and high-value commercial cases, some of which are ongoing. He is regularly instructed in commercial disputes, including in a wide variety of interim applications and procedural hearings, in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division – both in his own right and as part of a team. He was recently ranked by Legal 500 as one of the ‘Top 10 Under Eight Years’ Call’ for Commercial Litigation,where he is described as “Assured and skilful, an eloquent orator on his feet, and trusted by our team”. Examples of some of the commercial law disputes in which Ashley has acted include:
- The Secretary of State for Health & Social Care v PPE Medpro Limited [2023] (Commercial Court)
Ashley is instructed as junior counsel (led by Charles Samek KC) by PPE Medpro Ltd in its defence of claims brought in the Commercial Court by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in relation to the supply to the DHSC of 25 million sterile surgical gowns in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. - X v Y [2023] (AIFC)
Acting for the Claimant shareholder (led by Rupert D’Cruz KC) in a claim for relief for unfair prejudice (and associated proceedings for injunctive relief), arising out of the diversion of a multi-million dollar commercial opportunity for the purchase of an oilfield in Kazakhstan. - A v B [2023] (LCIA Arbitration)
Acting – as junior counsel (led by Jonathan Cohen KC) – for the respondents in an multi-million pound LCIA Arbitration Claim arising under an English Law agreement for the distribution of luxury skincare products in Hong Kong, Macau, and cross-border into China. - Allergy Therapeutics Ltd v Inflamax Research Inc [2019] EWHC 2526 (Comm) – led by Charles Samek KC in Commercial Court Proceedings arising from a multimillion dollar clinical study, involving claims for breach of contract, misrepresentation, conspiracy and procuration of the tort of deceit, and a counterclaim for unpaid fees. The case involved complex factual and scientific evidence relating to the clinical drug trial process, methodologies for allergy testing, and the statistical analysis of allergen exposure data.
- Staechelin & Ors v ACLBDD Holdings Limited & Ors [2019] EWCA Civ 817 – led by Jonathan Cohen KC representing the Claimants, De Pury & De Pury LLP, in their successful claim for commission on the sale of a Gauguin masterpiece, Nafea faa ipoipo, to the Qatari Royal Family for $210 million (upheld subsequently by the Court of Appeal). For more detail see here.
- A v B [2018] – acting as junior counsel (led by Jonathan Cohen KC) on behalf of the Part 20 Defendant to a claim by an art dealer loss of earnings, alternatively a reasonable sum by way of quantum meruit, for the alleged curation of an art collection. For more detail, see Ashley’s Art Law CV, below.
- C v D [2019] Acting – as junior counsel (led by Charles Samek KC) – for the respondents to a Worldwide Freezing Injunction, obtained in support of a multi-million dollar claim in conspiracy, deceit and joint tortfeasorship;
- Ali v Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago [2017] UKPC 2 – led by Jonathan Cohen KC in the Privy Council in an appeal (from the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) regarding inter alia the proper construction of the terms of a Loan Agreement.