Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 31, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
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NMC Health has withdrawn its £2 billion lawsuit against EY in London, ending a legal battle over alleged negligent audits related to hidden debt.
(In January 31 story, refiles to clarify in headline and paragraph 1 that NMC Health is in administration, as stated in paragraph 2)
LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Collapsed former hospital operator NMC Health this week withdrew its London lawsuit seeking nearly 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) plus interest from auditor EY for allegedly negligent audits, according to a court order.
The administrators of NMC – a FTSE 100 company when it collapsed in 2020 after disclosing more than $4 billion in hidden debt – sued over audits from 2012 to 2018, when EY gave an unqualified opinion that NMC's accounts were accurate.
NMC was seeking 1.94 billion pounds, largely relating to undisclosed guarantees, plus interest. The trial of its lawsuit began at London's High Court in May and concluded in October.
But before the court could rule on the case, NMC withdrew its claim, according to a court order dated January 29. The order states "there shall be no order as to the damages claimed or as to the costs of the claim", with no further details.
Lawyers representing NMC's administrators and EY did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The company's administrators Alvarez & Marsal had accused EY, one of the world's "Big Four" auditors and formerly known as Ernst & Young, of negligently failing to spot a major fraud by NMC's main shareholders.
But EY argued at last year's trial that it was NMC's own senior personnel who perpetrated the fraud and manipulated its accounts, hiding the fraud from EY.
NMC Health PLC listed in London in 2012 and joined the FTSE 100 in 2017, before short-seller Muddy Waters questioned its financials in December 2019 sending NMC's shares tumbling by almost a third in a day.
($1 = 0.7306 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
An auditor is a professional who examines financial records to ensure accuracy and compliance with established standards and regulations.
Corporate governance refers to the systems, principles, and processes by which a company is directed and controlled, focusing on the relationships among stakeholders.
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