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Liverpool's emblem is seen in front of their Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northern England October...
Tom Hicks and George Gillett's ownership of Liverpool was hanging by the slenderest of threads on Thursday after a High Court judge ruled against their bid to block the club's sale for the second successive day.A High Court ruling on Wednesday had paved the way for Liverpool to be sold for 300 million pounds ($479.8 million) to New England Sports Ventures (NESV) before Gillett and Hicks obtained a temporary block in a Texas district court.
In response, lawyers for the club's chief creditor Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) went back before the same judge in London on Thursday and he granted an injunction to restrain the Dallas court ruling, saying the case had no connection to Texas.
The judge said his ruling was not aimed at the Dallas court but at Hicks and Gillett and gave the duo until 1500GMT on Friday to comply with his orders.
"The owners' behaviour conclusively demonstrates just how incorrigible they are," he said. "They are absolutely determined to stop this transaction in its tracks and they have no lawful justification for behaving in this way."
Liverpool's independent directors issued a statement on the club website (www.liverpoolfc.tv) saying: "We are glad to have taken another important step towards completing the sale process."
FURTHER HEARING
Dallas court officials then announced they would hold a further hearing on Thursday, which began at around 1800GMT, this time with representatives of both sides after Wednesday's case heard only from the owners.
While the London court case seemingly cleared the way for NESV to add the club to its stable alongside the Boston Red Sox, rival bidder Peter Lim announced he was pulling out, angry and frustrated his 320 million pounds offer had not been considered.
"It has become clear to me that the Board is intent on selling the club to NESV to the exclusion of all other parties, regardless of the merits of their bids," Singapore businessman Lim said in a statement.
"In these circumstances, I am not able to proceed with my intention to acquire the club."
NESV are likely to keep the champagne on ice for a few hours at least though after yesterday's "victory" celebrations were quickly curtailed by the unexpected Dallas ruling.
Back in London on Thursday, lawyers for RBS -- who are attempting to secure the repayment of 240 million pounds in loans -- returned to the High Court.
They asked the same Judge, Mr Justice Floyd, to grant an injunction to stop the club's American owners continuing with their legal action in Texas.
The case began with much less fanfare than Wednesday's hearing in the same court 18, when fans crowded for space with journalists and cheered the decision to allow the sale as if the club had ended their 20-year league title drought.
NO CONNECTION
In Thursday's hearing Richard Snowden QC, for the bank, said the dispute had no connection with Texas other than that Hicks and Gillett may reside there.
"It is an abuse of process, unconscionable and an affront to justice... a plain attempt to frustrate and impede the proceedings," the Press Association reported him as saying.
"Plainly it is a bid to frustrate this court in the exercise of its jurisdiction."
Snowden added that Hicks and Gillett's claim that they were victims of an "epic swindle" and "grand conspiracy" over the club's sale were "wild and scurrilous" assertions with no evidence to support them.
Earlier, legal opinion in the UK suggested the Texas court restriction might be overturned as soon as the court heard evidence from Liverpool's side, having made their decision purely on the evidence of Hicks and Gillett, who were seeking personal damages of $1.6 billion.
Graham Shear, a partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner, described the Texas ruling as a "fairly desperate bid by Hicks and Gillett to prevent the sale"
"It's a slightly bizarre occurrence and I think it will disappear pretty quickly, probably within 24 hours," Shear told Reuters.
On the pitch, Liverpool are struggling and stand third from bottom of the table. They face city rivals Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday when their travails are certain to be the butt of the home fans' songs.
(Editing by Kevin Fylan and Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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