Hull take Duffen to court over financial misconduct

Hull City began legal action in the High Court against their former chairman Paul Duffen yesterday after accusing him of spending company money for personal use.

The club, who also allege Duffen's company received payments from agents in return for using them to deal with transfers, announced they had been successful in freezing his assets.

"The company believes that Mr Duffen has acted in breach of his employment contracts and fiduciary duties as a director, through the use of company monies for his own personal expenditure and other wrongdoings," the club said in a statement. "The company also believes that he has acted in breach of his employment contracts and fiduciary duties as a director, through the payment of certain monies by third party football agents to Mr Duffen's services company, in return for which Mr Duffen procured that Hull City contract with the agents for business."

Duffen's barrister, Lexa Hilliard QC, told the court that although he had consented to the orders, "this was not to be taken as an admission by my client of any of the allegations against him".

Duffen also agreed to hand over computer files. A date for the trial has yet to be fixed.