Court orders Australian millionaire behind 222m superyacht project to pay unpaid bills of £733,750

The High Court of Justice in London has ordered Carl Le Souef, an Australian businessman and entrepreneur, to pay £733,750 owed to Winch Design for unpaid invoices relating to design services for the 222-metre residential superyacht project Somnio.

According to court records, the British studio entered into a contract with Le Souef and Somnio Superyachts Limited in November 2020, under which Winch would receive £5.285 million. The amount was to be paid over a series of instalments, and while the first invoice of £200,000 was paid on 15 April 2021, the next three invoices issued between 27 April and 19 May 2021 were not paid, leading Winch to cease work on the project and eventually sue Le Souef for the outstanding sum.