In this week’s end-of-term avalanche of court judgments, the prize for understatement goes to Mr Justice Hildyard. As a postscript to his long-awaited ruling on quantum in the Autonomy/Hewlett-Packard civil fraud claim, he observed: ‘In the course of finalising this judgment, three extraordinary events occurred.’
The judge was, of course, referring to the weeks last summer which saw, first, the acquittal of IT entrepreneur Mike Lynch of criminal charges in the US, and then ‘two terrible accidents’. On 17 August, Lynch’s co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain was hit by a car while out running; he died three days later.
‘Third, tragically and almost unbelievably, on 19 August 2024, Dr Lynch, members of his family (including his younger daughter) and guests on his yacht “The Bayesian” (including a lawyer from Clifford Chance, Mr Christopher Morvillo, who I believe sat in on every day of the main hearing), were reported missing after the yacht had capsized in a sudden and vicious storm off the coast of Sicily. Although Dr Lynch’s wife survived, Dr Lynch, his younger daughter, and Mr Morvillo were found dead in the yacht a few days later.’
The judge concluded: ‘No words from me will be of any comfort to his wife and family. But I wish to express my sorrow at this devastating turn of events, and my sympathy and deepest condolences, having come to know and admire Dr Lynch (notwithstanding my findinGs against him) over the course of a very long trial.’
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