Litigation Radar: RBS defends £70m+ negligence claim, Fitch Ratings representative action & Palantir pursue MOPAC AI contract veto
Notable developments this week include a negligence case against the Royal Bank of Scotland, Palantir’s action over Sadiq Khan’s AI tech met deal block, fraudulent misrepresentation allegations against credit rating agency Fitch Ratings and a smart fridge camera tech conspiracy.
Published fortnightly, our Litigation Radar tracks significant disputes, emerging claims and key developments from across the litigation landscape. This edition spans financial disputes, Government procurement contracts, serious fraud allegations and unlawful means conspiracy.
Law firms featured
Signature Litigation • Dentons LLP • Bird & Bird LLP • TFL Legal • Crowell & Moring LLP • Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP • Kingsley Napley LLP • Shoosmiths LLP
FL-2026-000002: Rockfire Capital Ltd (In Liquidation) v The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc
Rockfire Capital, a now liquidated investment firm that sold renewable energy bonds primarily to Thurrock Borough Council, has brought a claim against RBS seeking damages for alleged breaches of contract and negligence. The claimant alleges that the bank failed to prevent unauthorised payments made by the company’s former director, who is accused of making payments of more than £70 million from the firm’s RBS account.
HT-2026-000205: Palantir Technologies UK Ltd v Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime
US technology company Palantir Technologies has initiated a claim against the Mayor of London’s office after Sadiq Khan blocked a potential multi-million-pound contract between Palantir and the Metropolitan Police. The Mayor’s office stated that the decision was based on concerns that the contract did not demonstrate sufficient value for taxpayers and didn’t follow proper procurement rules, while Palantir alleges that the decision was unlawful and influenced by the company’s controversial public reputation.
CL-2025-000451: Equite Capital Pte Ltd v Fitch Ratings Ltd
Singaporean investment company Equite Capital has brought a claim on behalf of various investment funds against credit rating agency Fitch Ratings for alleged fraudulent misrepresentation and deceit. Equite Capital alleges that Fitch’s computer models assigned artificially high safety ratings to high-risk investments and the agency was aware of these errors but failed to adequately disclose this information to investors. The claimant argues that these ratings misled investors and resulted in significant financial losses.
CL-2026-000280: Smarter Applications Ltd v Aktiebolaget Electrolux
Technology company Smarter Applications has brought a claim against Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux, seeking £201 million in damages for alleged breaches of confidence, contract and unlawful means conspiracy. The British tech firm alleges that Electrolux entered into a partnership with the company as a means of gaining access to its smart fridge camera technology, which it then used to launch a competing product, before wrongfully terminating the partnership.
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