Evidence at a High Court hearing was presented on Monday afternoon regarding Mike Ashley as the Sports Direct owner is being sued by an investment banker for breaching a commercial agreement.
Investment banker Jeffrey Blue alleges that Ashley did not stick to his end of the deal regarding the use of his expertise to raise Sports Direct's share price, and presented evidence as to why the Newcastle United owner's business practises "fly in the face of business orthodoxy".
Incredibly, the court were told of how Ashley vomited into a fireplace after drinking 12 beers during a management meeting, after challenging a Polish investment banker to a drinking game, according to Mr Blue, and reported by The Telegraph:
These meetings were like no other senior management meeting I had ever attended in all my years of investment banking experience.
It was effectively a 'pub lock-in' with alcohol continuing to be served well beyond closing hours and fish and chips or kebabs being provided throughout the evening.
On one such evening, in front of his senior management team, Mr Ashley challenged a young Polish analyst in my team, Pawel Pawlowski, to a drinking competition.
Mr Ashley and Pawel would drink pints of lager, with vodka 'chasers' between each pint, and the first to leave the bar area for whatever reason was declared the loser.
After approximately 12 pints and chasers Pawel apologised profusely and had to excuse himself.
Mr Ashley then vomited into the fireplace located in the centre of the bar, to huge applause from his senior management team.
Furthermore, Blue claimed that Ashley would occasionally lie underneath tables for a nap during meetings that he found boring, and that he would delegate responsibilities for fee payment via a game of 'spoof':
Mr Ashley's business practices fly in the face of business orthodoxy," Mr Chapman told the judge in a written outline of Mr Blue's case.
Mr Blue refers to Mr Ashley lying underneath tables in meetings he found to be boring to 'take a nap', playing a game of spoof to resolve who ought to pay Merrill Lynch's legal fees ... (totalling £750,000) and lavishly entertaining Sports Direct's non-executive directors.
Ashley denies the claims that he went back on his word regarding an agreement with Mr Blue, and the hearing will continue through the week.
You can read further details about Mr Blue's claims against Mike Ashley in the report over on The Telegraph.
