Flying high: Multi-billion aircraft dispute in Dublin

More than a dozen Irish law firms and scores of lawyers advising on insurance claims relating to leased aircraft detained in Russia following sanctions

“It’s the case that everybody’s talking about, even the firms who are not involved,” says Julie Murphy-O’Connor, disputes partner at Matheson. “This litigation relates to insurance claims in respect of leased aircraft detained in Russia by lessees following the imposition of Russian sanctions in February 2022. It’s an extremely complex case. Six separate sets of proceedings are being run as one unitary trial and thirteen separate legal firms instructed.” Matheson is advising four of the six aircraft lessor plaintiffs whose aircraft were impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In one of the largest ever cases before the Commercial Court in Ireland, it is being watched carefully in the UK, as parallel proceedings will shortly commence in London. The trial started in June and is anticipated to run for at least 28 weeks.