John Jessup explores recent Court of Appeal decisions on s. 994 petitions

16th June 2026

3PB's specialist commercial, personal and corporate barrister, John JessupJohn JessupCall: 2014, has written two articles on the recent Court of Appeal decisions on s. 994 petitions (June 2026).

John explores Court of Appeal case, Magic Investments SA v Broadbent and The Greater Good Fresh Brewing Co Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 711, where a contractual term has more than one possible meaning. He looks at how the court concluded interpretation best fits the contract as a whole and reflects commercial common sense, while also clarifying aspects of unfair prejudice claims.

John examines the recent case of Song & Zhao v Smith & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 719, in which a shareholder who continued pursuing business opportunities after a joint venture partner withdrew from the company. In this case the court considered if they breached their fiduciary duties by not accounting for profits to the company, and whether that conduct amounted to unfair prejudice against the other shareholder.

To read Magic Investments SA v Broadbent and The Greater Good Fresh Brewing Co Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 711 please click here.

To read Song & Zhao v Smith & Ors [2026] EWCA Civ 719 please click here.

To contact or instruct John, please email his Chambers Director David Fielder on [email protected] or phone 0207 583 8055.