The founder of fashion brand In The Style has won his High Court battle against a rival who claimed he stole his business idea.
Adam Frisby was sued by businessman Paul Clements who had claimed the name and concept of the Salford company had come from him.
Mr Frisby, who serves as the firm's interim CEO, founded In The Style in his bedroom in 2013.
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Following the judgement, Mr Frisby said: "After what has been the most difficult and unimaginable few months of my life, I am so pleased and relieved that today the judge and the high court have rightly ruled in my favour."
He added: "I cannot begin to tell you how gut-wrenching this process has been over the last 18 months.
“I have worked tirelessly over the last 10 years alongside the ITS team, our influencer partners, and our customers, whose fantastic support has helped to make In the Style the incredible brand it is today.
"I’d like to thank everyone for their kind messages and words in recent weeks. It has meant a lot to me throughout this incredibly difficult period."
Following a five-day trial in the High Court, in Manchester, all of Clements’ claims were dismissed. The full judgement can be read here.
TLT advised Adam Frisby and instructed leading counsel Giles Maynard-Connor KC and junior Stephen Connolly, of Exchange Chambers, Manchester.
Julien Luke, partner at TLT, added: "I am delighted with the judgment and this victory for Adam.
"His is a real success story; having started the business of In The Style in his bedroom and then working tirelessly to develop and grow it such that the business floated in 2021.
"The judgment vindicates Adam and his stance that he would not be intimidated into making payment in the face of this false claim.
"I am proud to have led the TLT team in order to achieve this fantastic result for our client."
In response, Mr Clements said: "I am extremely disappointed by the judgement, having spent two years litigating (and) incurred a substantial six-figure sum on legal fees."
He added: "I will now consider my options and whether to appeal the judgement".
Mr Clements had alleged in a claim launched in 2021 that he conceived the original idea for the company in 2013 and engaged Mr Frisby to assist with developing In The Style shortly after.
The business floated in 2021 and Mr Clements asserted that Mr Frisby should account to him for what was realised upon the floatation; and put that figure at £125m.
However, in dismissing the proceedings, the judge found that Mr Clements played no part in the idea or development of In The Style and concluded it "likely" that In The Style’s stock-market flotation in 2020 "formed the motivation" for Mr Clements asserting a claim against Mr Frisby.
The judgement comes after In The Style recently warned it will lose more than previously expected during its current financial year.
The company revealed it is now forecasting its full-year adjusted EBITDA loss will be between £4.25m and £4.75m. The AIM-listed company added it now also expects its revenue to be around £46m.
In the 12 months to the end of March 2022, In the Style reported a revenue of £57.3m, up from £33.7m, and pre-tax losses of £1.5m compared to a profit of £125,000 in the prior year.
In The Style said its revenue drop reflected "market-wide cost-of-living pressures on consumer demand, higher levels of markdowns and a reduction in wholesale demand".
It added that it will "continue to focus on cash management and liquidity".
The trading update came after the company appointed Lincoln International to lead a strategic review which could lead to a full or part sale of the business.
In The Style uses influencers such as Stacey Solomon and Gemma Atkinson to promote its products.
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