Alan Sugar is suing Kingsley Napley for £1.3 million for allegedly giving him duff advice.
Sugar's property company, Amsprop, instructed Kingsley Napley to help it take possession of a building it owns on New Bond Street which it wanted to develop into a shop for Swatch. As part of the masterplan Amsprop refused to grant a new lease to one of the tenants, cufflink-maker Longmire. But instead of leaving the premises with its wheely suitcase and praising Sugar's business acumen in the taxi home, Longmire took Amsprop to court, and won. Sugar was forced to pay Longmire £970,500 to drop its right to a new lease.
Living up to his introduction on The Apprentice as "Britain's most belligerent boss", Sugar blamed Kingsley Napley and sued it for the entire £970,500, plus £326,000 in costs and legal fees. Papers filed in the High Court accused the firm of a variety of ball-ups, including failing to tactically delay the court date, which Amsprop says cost it the chance of booting out Longmire for free.
Sugar has instructed Herbert Smith Freehills in his claim. The two have a long-standing relationship, and ex-Herbert Smith partner Margaret Mountford found TV fame after becoming Sugar's right-hand woman on The Apprentice. It's unlikely any Kingsley Napley partners will follow the same trajectory, unless they can persuade Sugar to blame the guy sitting next to them. A spokeswoman for the firm said, “We are disappointed that this case is being progressed. We deny the claim and will vigorously contest it."*
*by arguing that in last week's task it sold more self-designed boxes of cereal to Liverpool Street commuters than either Impact or Velocity.
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Sugar's property company, Amsprop, instructed Kingsley Napley to help it take possession of a building it owns on New Bond Street which it wanted to develop into a shop for Swatch. As part of the masterplan Amsprop refused to grant a new lease to one of the tenants, cufflink-maker Longmire. But instead of leaving the premises with its wheely suitcase and praising Sugar's business acumen in the taxi home, Longmire took Amsprop to court, and won. Sugar was forced to pay Longmire £970,500 to drop its right to a new lease.
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"As times have changed, you seem to have gone from anchor to wanker" - Lord Sugar to The Apprentice Season 2 contestant Mani Sandher, and Kingsley Napley. |
Living up to his introduction on The Apprentice as "Britain's most belligerent boss", Sugar blamed Kingsley Napley and sued it for the entire £970,500, plus £326,000 in costs and legal fees. Papers filed in the High Court accused the firm of a variety of ball-ups, including failing to tactically delay the court date, which Amsprop says cost it the chance of booting out Longmire for free.
Sugar has instructed Herbert Smith Freehills in his claim. The two have a long-standing relationship, and ex-Herbert Smith partner Margaret Mountford found TV fame after becoming Sugar's right-hand woman on The Apprentice. It's unlikely any Kingsley Napley partners will follow the same trajectory, unless they can persuade Sugar to blame the guy sitting next to them. A spokeswoman for the firm said, “We are disappointed that this case is being progressed. We deny the claim and will vigorously contest it."*
*by arguing that in last week's task it sold more self-designed boxes of cereal to Liverpool Street commuters than either Impact or Velocity.
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