Former Jones Day Partner Cleared of Contempt in Ocado Legal Battle
Raymond McKeeve had been accused of destroying documents relating to a case between his client and the online supermarket.
June 12, 2020 at 05:46 AM
2 minute read
Ocado
A U.K. High Court judge has dismissed contempt of court claims brought against a former Jones Day London partner by U.K. online supermarket Ocado.
Ocado alleged that Raymond McKeeve, who left Jones Day in January, had ordered the destruction of documents regarding a dispute between his client, Today Development Partners (TDP), and Ocado.
That wider dispute saw Ocado accuse former employee TDP co-founder Jonathan Faiman and TDP of obtaining and using confidential information unlawfully. In turn, TDP claimed that Ocado's allegations against it had resulted in the failure of a tie-up with Waitrose.
The court heard in November that McKeeve had told an IT consultant at TDP, Martin Henery, to delete messages relating to the case on a secure messaging app.
According to court filings published on Thursday, Ocado and its lawyers at Mishcon de Reya failed to establish that McKeeve had interfered with the court process, solidifying a draft judgement handed down in February that came to the same conclusion.
Ocado had challenged the draft decision, but in the documents filed on Thursday, Mr Justice Marcus Smith said that "Ocado's contentions were built upon an extraordinarily flawed foundation".
As a result, he said that there was "no way Mr McKeeve could have understood the true nature of the contempt alleged against him, and would have had no real ability to defend himself properly".
McKeeve took up a new role as chief transaction officer and legal office at aviation investment firm Cingo Global in January. He had been at Jones Day for seven years.
Read More
Jones Day London Private Equity Partner Decamps to US Rival
German Publishers Drop Suit Against Google, Handing Hengeler Mueller a Win
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Jones Day, BCLP & Other Major Firms Boost European Teams with Key Partner Hires
4 minute read
$13.8 Billion Magomedov Claim Thrown Out by UK High Court
Ropes & Gray, Mori Hamada, Nishimura & Asahi Act on Bain Capital’s $634M Aircraft Business Acquisition in Japan
Trending Stories
- 1'A Death Sentence for TikTok'?: Litigators and Experts Weigh Impact of Potential Ban on Creators and Data Privacy
- 2Bribery Case Against Former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin Is Dropped
- 3‘Extremely Disturbing’: AI Firms Face Class Action by ‘Taskers’ Exposed to Traumatic Content
- 4State Appeals Court Revives BraunHagey Lawsuit Alleging $4.2M Unlawful Wire to China
- 5Invoking Trump, AG Bonta Reminds Lawyers of Duties to Noncitizens in Plea Dealing
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
