Bloodied investors fight back

A growing number of investors are turning to the courts in an effort to get their money back. But will they be able to land a knockout punch? Barry J Whyte and Philip Connolly report.

Warren Buffett, perhaps the world's most famous investor, famously said of investment that only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.'

Sitting between the shadows cast by the modern skyscrapers of London's opulent City district is 23 Austin Friars, a piece of classic architecture dating back to 1888 and designed by Sir Aston Webb, the man behind the main facade at Buckingham Palace.

Its heritage, however, is not the only interesting aspect of 23 Austin Friars - it is also the subject of a €20 million lawsuit, the outcome of which will affect 220 ...