A high-profile legal case is underway concerning the Grenfell Tower fire, involving allegations of conspiracy, dishonesty, and failure to warn, with claims spanning several years and involving multiple entities, including a refurbishment in 2011.

The case underscores issues of alleged corporate dishonesty and regulatory failures, as the legal battle focuses on responsibility for the disaster.

The proceedings are being heard before Mrs. Justice Jefford, with the preliminary hearing expected to conclude on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

During the hearing, RBKC's lawyers attempted to strike out parts of Celotex’s extensive defense, which was compared to the length of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, citing the complexity and seriousness of the allegations.

Celotex defends its lengthy legal documents as necessary, containing detailed information from a public inquiry, while Saint-Gobain claims RBKC's conduct involved deliberate wrongdoing and governance failings.

RBKC alleges that Celotex and Saint-Gobain conspired around the testing, sale, and marketing of the RS5000 insulation, failing to conduct proper testing and concealing critical details that made the product unsuitable for high-rise buildings.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is seeking damages, claiming the companies supplied dishonestly marketed insulation that contributed to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which resulted in 72 deaths.

RBKC is pursuing millions of pounds in damages, asserting that the companies failed to warn that the insulation was unsuitable for high-rise applications.