A date has been set for the next stage in the dispute between billionaire Simon Halabi and the architect for his proposed £300m luxury hotel development of the former home of the In & Out Club in Piccadilly, London W1, and
At the trial, to begin on 10 December, Coulson J will consider how much Halabi should pay architect Fitzroy Robinson (now known as Aukett Fitzroy Robinson) in fees from the mothballed project.
In July, the judge ruled that fees were payable, but left the quantification until a later hearing. He also held that the architect had made fraudulent misrepresentations concerning the departure from the firm of star architect Jeremy Blake, who was to be responsible for the scheme.
The dispute began in April 2008 when Mentmore Towers Ltd, owned by Halabi family trusts, became involved in a legal dispute with Fitzroy Robinson over allegedly unpaid fees of £504,416 plus VAT in connection with the Buckinghamshire development.
One month later, two Jersey-based vehicles owned by Halabi family trusts – Good Start Ltd and Anglo Swiss Holdings Ltd – were also sued for fees amounting to approximately £1m plus VAT in respect of the Piccadilly project.
