The Shell-Related High Court Spectacle That Puts Reality TV to Shame

Posted by John Donovan: 15 July 2024

In a high-stakes legal drama, a High Court judge just told Leigh Day, the law firm accused of playing fast and loose with £6 million from a Shell pollution settlement, to suck it up and get on with the show. The Nigerian claimants, reeling from Shell’s eco-destruction in the Niger Delta, argued they hadn’t received a formal heads-up about the trial date. But the judge wasn’t buying it.

Leigh Day, the firm representing the Bodo community against the oil behemoth Shell, settled for a cool £55 million in 2014 after the delightful oil spills of 2008 and 2009. £25 million was for individual claims, while £20 million was set aside for the community. The firm is accused of sneaky disbursements, diverting £6 million to an NGO and four Nigerian legal practices without a green light.

Leigh Day denies everything. They insist they’ve been the epitome of lawful conduct and that the claimants have no business launching a representative action.

Enter Tiki Emezie, the solicitor advocate for the claimants, who scrambled for an adjournment on day one of the trial. His arguments? The claimants were left in the dark about the trial, witnesses were sick, and the experts were still snoozing. Sure, the claimants knew about a ‘window’ from 8 to 15 July since last summer, but apparently, that’s as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Judge Andrew Twigger KC, presiding over this theatre of the absurd, asked if the claimants could muster any witnesses if the adjournment was denied. Emezie’s response? A resounding no. His instructions only covered the adjournment plea.

Michael Poole KC, defending Leigh Day, minced no words: “The conduct is wholly inexplicable and does not attract any sympathy.” He lamented the complete lack of preparedness and estimated that a later adjournment would toss £93,000 down the drain.

Poole further roasted the claimants, pointing out their disregard for court obligations and their flimsy case for adjournment. The judge, backing this roast session, noted that the claimants were well aware of the trial and had no valid excuse for their shoddy preparedness.

In a final twist, the judge showed a sliver of mercy by delaying the trial’s start to Tuesday, but no further. And so, the legal drama continues, with Leigh Day and the claimants stumbling through this courtroom spectacle, all while Shell watches from the sidelines, perhaps with popcorn in hand.

Ah, Shell – always managing to stir the pot, whether it’s polluting the environment or starring in courtroom dramas.

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