High Court throws out Shift bid for Yodel after forged documents ruling

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https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/high-c ... nts-ruling

The High Court has thrown out Shift and Corja’s claim to take control of Yodel after ruling that key documents related to the case were likely forged.

In an approved judgment handed down on December 19, 2025, Justice Timothy Fancourt dismissed the counterclaims brought by Shift Global Holdings and Corja Holdings in a long running ownership dispute involving parcel delivery firm Yodel.

Shift and Corja had argued they have rights to take a majority share in the logistics company, more than 60%, through a set of agreements they claim were signed while Jacob Corlett, Shift’s founder, was a director of Yodel.

InPost bought Yodel in April 2025 for £106m through a debt for equity deal.

The acquisition built on the partnership established between InPost and Yodel in October 2024, when Yodel began providing last-mile services through InPost’s “locker-to-door” service.

Shift said the deal with InPost ignored its share rights and so took legal action to enforce those rights.

Shift and Corja said their documents entitled them to be issued shares that would give them a majority stake in Yodel.

Yodel then argued the paperwork had been created later and backdated, and that signatures were forged.

The judge took into account expert forensic handwriting and document analysis evidence.

The court said Corlett’s account of how the documents were prepared and signed was unsupported by the surrounding evidence, and pointed to multiple inconsistencies, including the timing and handling of draft files and printing, differences in paper used for different parts of the documents, and the way signatures and initials appeared across pages.

Justice Fancourt ruled: “The conclusion to be drawn from this evidence is reinforced by the evidence of the handwriting expert witnesses, which was to the effect that the signatures on the documents in dispute were suspicious, showed many signs of forgery, and probably were forged.”

Shift had already been ordered by the High Court to pay £1.5 million in “security for costs” in July last year.

Michael Rouse, InPost International chief executive (owner of Yodel), told Fleet News: “This is an extraordinary judgment that demonstrates the lengths Corlett was prepared to go in order to extract money from Yodel.

“This judgment is a total vindication of our position and protects the integrity of our share capital.

“It ensures that our current shareholders, partners, and the thousands of people who work for Yodel can continue to focus on delivering for our customers without the distraction of these meritless and dishonest claims.”

The judgment from the High Court now means Yodel will be able to continue its case against Corlett for the misappropriation of funds during his time in charge in the company. This was stayed after Corlett’s counterclaim in relation to control of Yodel, but can now continue.

A statement from a spokesperson for Shift told Fleet News: “We brought action against Yodel to claim ownership.

“We are disappointed that the overall verdict did not fall in our favour but appreciate it is a complex case. We will continue to review the findings as we consider next steps.”