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Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Irish Times
High Court allows McGregor whiskey dispute to proceed
The hearing of a High Court dispute over an alleged oral agreement giving 5 per cent of a Conor McGregor-founded whiskey brand to his former MMA sparring partner will go ahead later this year after a judge approved moves to amend the date of the original claim. Ms Justice Nessa Cahill, on Wednesday, granted Artem Lobov permission to amend his pleadings in the case in which he claims Mr McGregor made an oral agreement with him for a 5 per cent share, made in a gym in 2017. The court heard Mr Lobov is now saying the meeting at which the oral agreement was made took place on October 9th, 2017, not September 2017 as originally claimed. It arose after Mr Lobov, while preparing for the hearing, found an old mobile phone which clarified the meeting was not in September 2017. It was also in circumstances where Mr Lobov knew Mr McGregor had been defeated in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. The court heard Mr McGregor was in Ibiza in September and said he could not have been present on the date Mr Lobov originally claimed. READ MORE Russia-born Mr Lobov claims he was involved in the creation of, and working on setting up, the 'Proper Number Twelve' Irish whiskey brand which was reported to be sold for US$600 million (€530 million) to Proximo Spirits in 2021. Mr McGregor was reported to have received $130 million from the sale. Proximo cut ties with Mr McGregor and the brand following last year's separate High Court action in which a civil jury found he should pay almost €250,000 for raping a woman, Nikita Hand, in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. That decision is being appealed. The hearing of the whiskey claim was due to go ahead this week but was postponed to allow Mr Lobov, who lives in Mulhuddart, Dublin, apply to amend his case after he had discovered the old phone with information alerting him to the October date. The McGregor side, who denied there was any oral agreement, opposed the amendment. On Wednesday, after hearing arguments from lawyers for both sides, Ms Justice Cahill said she was satisfied to allow the amendment. She approved directions for the progress of the case to hearing but noted it is unlikely to get a date until after the long courts vacation. Earlier Andrew Walker SC said Mr Lobov had told his solicitor Dermot McNamara that he discovered the old phone in March. While his side accepted it would have been far better if the amendment to the claim had been made sooner, the law was clear that a litigant can bring an application to amend at any time and the court has a wide ranging discretion to grant it. This was not a case where there was irredeemable prejudice to the defendant and it was also not bound to fail, which are the only two barriers to an amendment, he said. He accepted the defence was going to have to meet its three witnesses who were to give evidence on behalf of Mr McGregor so they can now have to deal with where they were in the relevant week of October 2017. This was not insurmountable but it would take more time, he said. Mr Walker also accepted the amendment will have cost implications for his client. Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, agreed there was no irredeemable prejudice or that the case was bound to fail. 'But those who receive absolution have to admit the sin or at least provide an explanation as to how this occurred', he said. There was 'no interest' on the part of the Lobov side to address that, he said. 'The reason was to secure a litigious advantage as something that could be dealt with on the day of the trial', he said. It arose in circumstances where after Mr Lobov told his lawyer about the new phone, a decision was taken not to reveal this until the eleventh hour, he said. The court would, in those circumstances, be entitled to not grant permission to amend the case but could otherwise have been granted, he said. Ms Justice Cahill said she would give reasons in a written judgment in due course for her decision to allow the amendment along with dealing with the question of costs.
BreakingNews.ie
21-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Conor McGregor whiskey dispute to go ahead after change to claim is allowed
A High Court dispute over a Conor McGregor-founded whiskey brand will go ahead later this year after a judge approved moves to amend the date of the original claim. Ms Justice Nessa Cahill on Wednesday granted Artem Lobov permission to amend his pleadings in the case, in which he claims Mr McGregor made an oral agreement with him for a 5 per cent share made in a gym in 2017. Advertisement The court heard Mr Lobov is now saying the meeting at which the oral agreement was made took place on October 9th, 2017, not September 2017 as originally claimed. It arose after Mr Lobov, while preparing for the hearing, found an old mobile phone which clarified the meeting was not in September 2017. It was also in circumstances where Mr Lobov knew Mr McGregor had been defeated in a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. The court heard Mr McGregor was in Ibiza in September and said he could not have been present on the date Mr Lobov originally claimed. Russia-born Mr Lobov claims he was involved in the creation of and working on setting up the "Proper Number Twelve" Irish whiskey brand which was reported to be sold for $600 million (€529 million) to Proximo Spirits in 2021. Mr McGregor was reported to have received $130 million from the sale. Proximo cut ties with Mr McGregor and the brand following last year's separate High Court action in which a civil jury found he should pay almost €250,000 for raping a woman, Nikita Hand, in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. That decision is being appealed. Advertisement The hearing of the whiskey claim was due to go ahead this week but was postponed to allow Mr Lobov, who lives in Mulhuddart, Dublin, apply to amend his case after he had discovered the old phone with information alerting him to the October date. The McGregor side, who denied there was any oral agreement, opposed the amendment. On Wednesday, after hearing arguments from lawyers for both sides, Ms Justice Cahill said she was satisfied to allow the amendment. She approved directions for the progress of the case to hearing but noted it is unlikely to get a date until after the long courts vacation. Earlier, Andrew Walker SC said Mr Lobov had told his solicitor Dermot McNamara solicitor that he discovered the old phone in March. Advertisement While his side accepted it would have been far better if the amendment to the claim had been made sooner, the law was clear that a litigant can bring an application to amend at any time and the court has a wide ranging discretion to grant it. This was not a case where there was irredeemable prejudice to the defendant and it was also not bound to fail, which are the only two barriers to an amendment, he said. He accepted the defence was going to have to meet its three witnesses who were to give evidence on behalf of Mr McGregor so they can now have to deal with where they were in the relevant week of October 2017. This was not insurmountable but it would take more time, he said. Mr Walker also accepted the amendment will have cost implications for his client. Advertisement Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, agreed there was no irredeemable prejudice or that the case was bound to fail. "But those who receive absolution have to admit the sin or at least provide an explanation as to how this occurred", he said. Ireland 'God bless Ireland': Conor McGregor attends anti-i... Read More There was "no interest" on the part of the Lobov side to address that, he said. "The reason was to secure a litigious advantage as something that could be dealt with on the day of the trial", he said. It arose in circumstances where after Mr Lobov told his lawyer about the new phone, a decision was taken not to reveal this until the 11th hour, he said. The court would, in those circumstances, be entitled to not grant permission to amend the case but could otherwise have been granted, he said. Ms Justice Cahill said she would give reasons in a written judgment in due course for her decision to allow the amendment along with dealing with the question of costs.
Irish Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
No mention of Conor McGregor as new owners release new edition of whiskey
The new owners of Conor McGregor's whiskey have brought out a new version of the liquor with no mention of his name. Proximo Spirits launched a new limited edition 13-year-old premier version of the whiskey across America last week for 60 bucks a bottle while the shamed fighter and his ex-sparring partner Artem Lobov were fighting it out over the No Twelve whiskey in the High Court. A source said: "There was no mention of Conor's name at the launch - it was as if he never existed." Whiskey expert Lobov claims the idea of a McGregor whiskey was originally his and Conor promised him a five per cent share in the brand for all the years he worked on the project. McGregor offered him a million quid to settle a few years ago but he turned it down. But now sources say both were shocked when the new 13-year-old version of the whiskey was launched last week with no mention of McGregor - another idea Lobov says was his. It is understood the original idea of number 13 was to commemorate the 13 seconds that it took McGregor to knock out Jose Aldo at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015. The No Twelve idea came from the post code in which he grew up in Crumlin, Dublin. However Proximo, which paid $600 million for McGregor's whiskey, made it clear at the launch of the single malt whiskey that the product had nothing to do with Conor McGregor any more and was a "new era" for the business. He was dropped as the brand ambassador by Proximo last November after he was found liable for sexual assault in the civil action taken against him by Nikita Hand and ordered to pay €250,000 in damages. The fighter is currently appealing that decision. There is no use of his name, face or likeness in relation to Proper No Twelve any more and the same applies to the new 13-year-old bottle. Lander Otegui, executive vice-president of marketing for Proximo Spirits said it represented a new era for the brand. He said: "This 13-year-old Single Malt is a more refined expression that still holds true to our roots - bold, accessible and built for those who appreciate character. "It's a celebration of the exciting future ahead as we continue to expand the brand's Irish whiskey offerings and disruptive approach to the category." McGregor founded his whiskey in 2018 and it became an overnight commercial success story, becoming one of the most popular brands in the USA. He walked away with $130 million from the deal. It is believed he still holds shares in it. The new whiskey is distilled at Bushmill's, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. The 13-year-old whiskey is now on sale in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas and Arizona. The High Court showdown between McGregor and Lobov has been postponed for a couple of weeks while changes are made to the original claim. It is understood private talks between the legal parties involved have so far failed to find a resolution to their dispute. McGregor and Lobov were best mates and used to travel the world together before they fell out. A source close to the case said: "We are all hoping they will sort this row out and make up. The Americans couldn't care less about either of them."
Sunday World
16-05-2025
- Sunday World
Conor McGregor whiskey case not going ahead after ‘fundamental' change
The case by Russian Artem Lobov, claiming he had an oral agreement for a 5pc share made with Mr McGregor in a gym in September 2017, was due to begin next Tuesday The High Court hearing of a dispute over a claim by a former sparring partner of Conor McGregor for a share in a whiskey brand founded by the MMA fighter is not going ahead as planned next week after the case was "fundamentally changed" to what was originally pleaded. The case by Russian Artem Lobov, claiming he had an oral agreement for a 5pc share made with Mr McGregor in a gym in September 2017, was due to begin next Tuesday with eight days set aside for the hearing. The case concerns Mr Lobov's claim for a share in creating the idea for and working on setting up the "Proper Number Twelve" Irish whiskey brand. It was sold in 2021 to Proximo Spirits for a reported sum of up to US$600m and Mr McGregor was reported to have received US€130m from the sale. Artem Lobov celebrates a UFC win with Conor McGregor in 2016. Photo: Brandon Magnus — © Zuffa LLC via Getty Images News in 90 Seconds - May 16th Proximo cut ties with Mr McGregor and the brand following last year's separate High Court action in which a civil jury found he should pay almost €250,000 for raping a woman, Nikita Hand, in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. That decision is being appealed. On Thursday, a judge said he was reluctantly going to allow the case to proceed next week after he expressed concerns about whether or not it was ready. The court heard Mr Lobov's side was late in lodging pre-trial legal submissions. This meant Mr McGregor's side was unable to have its submissions in before the case was due to begin. On Friday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan was told Mr Lobov's submissions had been received after Thursday's court hearing and they contained a proposal that the date of the alleged oral agreement was not as first claimed to be, in September 2017, but October 2017. Shelley Horan BL, for Mr McGregor, said her side had prepared the case on the basis that it was a September date that the alleged oral agreement was made and they had interviewed four people who were supposed to present when it occurred in a gym. As a result, it had significant implications for the case, which counsel had described as being primarily evidence based. Her side was prejudiced by this amendment to the case and would now need time to prepare for what would be a new claim. Ms Horan also said no specific date had been given for the September claim which had created challenges for the defendant in preparing the case. The defence denied there was any oral agreement. Andrew Walker SC, for Mr Lobov, accepted what had happened was wholly unacceptable but he was seeking leave to bring a motion to amend the case next week with an affidavit setting out the rationale as to why this had happened. Asked by Mr Justice Cregan why, when the court set the hearing date for next Tuesday , that the fact the case had "changed fundamentally" had not been brought to the judge's attention, Mr Walker said he would like to have that put on affidavit. The new date is a month later, not months later or a different year, he said. New information was discovered by Mr Lobov on an old phone which gave him clarity about the date, he said. After the case was put back to later in the morning for Mr Walker to get instructions, counsel said he was agreeing to an adjournment of next week's hearing. The judge vacated the hearing date but said he would hear Mr Walker's application next week to amend the statement of claim to put in the new October date.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Conor McGregor whiskey case hearing delayed following new information
The High Court hearing of a dispute over a claim by a former sparring partner of Conor McGregor for a share in a whiskey brand founded by the MMA fighter is not going ahead as planned next week after the case was 'fundamentally changed' to what was originally pleaded. The case by Russian Artem Lobov, claiming he had an oral agreement for a 5 per cent share made with Mr McGregor in a gym in September 2017, was due to begin next Tuesday with eight days set aside for the hearing. The case concerns Mr Lobov's claim for a share in creating the idea for and working on setting up the 'Proper Number Twelve' Irish whiskey brand. It was sold in 2021 to Proximo Spirits for a reported sum of up to US$600 million (€530 million). Mr McGregor was reported to have received $130 million from the sale. READ MORE Proximo cut ties with Mr McGregor and the brand following last year's separate High Court action in which a civil jury found he should pay almost €250,000 for raping a woman, Nikita Hand, in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. That decision is being appealed. On Thursday, a judge said he was reluctantly going to allow the case to proceed next week after he expressed concerns about whether or not it was ready. The court heard Mr Lobov's side was late in lodging pretrial legal submissions. This meant Mr McGregor's side was unable to have its submissions in before the case was due to begin. On Friday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan was told Mr Lobov's submissions had been received after Thursday's court hearing and they contained a proposal that the date of the alleged oral agreement was not as first claimed to be, in September 2017, but October 2017. Shelley Horan BL, for Mr McGregor, said her side had prepared the case on the basis that it was a September date that the alleged oral agreement was made and they had interviewed four people who were supposed to present when it occurred in a gym. As a result, it had significant implications for the case, which counsel had described as being primarily evidence based. Her side was prejudiced by this amendment to the case and would now need time to prepare for what would be a new claim. Ms Horan also said no specific date had been given for the September claim which had created challenges for the defendant in preparing the case. The defence denied there was any oral agreement. Andrew Walker SC, for Mr Lobov, accepted what had happened was wholly unacceptable but he was seeking leave to bring a motion to amend the case next week with an affidavit setting out the rationale as to why this had happened. Asked by Mr Justice Cregan why, when the court set the hearing date for next Tuesday, that the fact the case had 'changed fundamentally' had not been brought to the judge's attention, Mr Walker said he would like to have that put on affidavit. The new date is a month later, not months later or a different year, he said. New information was discovered by Mr Lobov on an old phone which gave him clarity about the date, he said. After the case was put back to later in the morning for Mr Walker to get instructions, counsel said he was agreeing to an adjournment of next week's hearing. The judge vacated the hearing date but said he would hear Mr Walker's application next week to amend the statement of claim to put in the new October date.
