Bombay High Court lauds mediator after Lodha brothers settle ₹5,000 crore trademark dispute

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday formally took on record the consent terms entered into by real estate tycoons Abhishek Lodha and Abhinandan Lodha, marking the end of a ₹5,000 crore trademark dispute between the two [Macrotech Developers v House of Abhinandan Lodha]..Justice Arif Doctor also lauded the role played by the mediator, retired Supreme Court judge Justice RV Raveendran, in bringing about an amicable resolution to the deeply contentious legal battle between the two brothers.“I must at this stage note the painstaking efforts of the Learned Mediator(Justice RV Raveendran), which has resulted in these consent terms being arrived and also my deep appreciation for the all the efforts taken by the Learned Mediator to bring about an amicable resolution of disputes between respondent nos.5 (Abhinandan Lodha ) and 16 ( Abhishek Lodha)," the Court said.The efforts of the mediator have not only put to an end to further and protracted litigation but have also salvaged the relationship between two brothers, the Court added..The matter is now scheduled for further compliance hearing on April 16 at 2:30 p.m at the request of counsel involved..The mediation ended the feud between real estate moguls Abhishek Lodha and Abhinandan Lodha that had escalated into a full-blown courtroom war over the use of the ‘Lodha’ brand.The dispute had resulted in a massive ₹5,000 crore lawsuit between Abhishek led Macrotech Developers and Abhinandan led House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL)Following a court order dated January 31, Justice Raveendran was appointed as the sole mediator after all parties consented to explore a negotiated settlement.The mediation turned out to be successful and the final mediation report dated April 12 along with the mutually agreed consent terms signed by the parties were submitted to the Court on Tuesday. .The Court recorded the consent terms but acknowledged that certain board-level resolutions of the companies involved, as set out in annexures to the consent terms, would need to be formally submitted before the settlement is fully implemented.Under the terms of the settlement:Macrotech Developers Ltd. (MDL), led by Abhishek Lodha, will be the sole owner and exclusive user of the brand names ‘Lodha’ and ‘Lodha Group’.Abhinandan Lodha will be the exclusive owner of the ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’ (HoABL) brand.It has been mutually acknowledged that there is no connection whatsoever between ‘Lodha Group’ and ‘House of Abhinandan Lodha’, and both parties have agreed to communicate this widely to the public.The agreement also confirms that Abhinandan Lodha holds no rights or claims in Macrotech Developers Ltd. or any other businesses operated by Abhishek Lodha. Conversely, Abhishek Lodha has no rights or claims in HoABL or the businesses of Mr. Abhinandan Lodha..The corporate fallout dates back to 2015, when the brothers formally split their business interests, culminating in a detailed family settlement agreement in March 2017. The agreement granted Abhishek Lodha control over the family’s flagship real estate business under MDL (formerly Lodha Developers), while Abhinandan was to pursue independent ventures unrelated to real estate, subject to certain non-compete clauses.Despite a supplementary agreement in December 2023 reiterating these boundaries—particularly with respect to brand usage—the dispute reignited after Macrotech alleged that Abhinandan's firms continued to use infringing names like ‘Lodha Ventures’.The matter came to a head in September 2024, leading to the ₹5,000 crore suit in January 2025, which has now been resolved through mediation..Senior Advocates Darius Khambata, Sharan Jagtiani, Senior Counsel along with Hiren Kamod, Rahul Dwarkadas, Prachi Dhanani, Nutash Kotwal and Shireen Mistri, Silpa Nair, Juhi Bhairwani, Yashvi Dave instructed by Veritas Legal appeared for Macrotech Developers. . Advocate Rohan Kadam, along with Advocates Devanshee Shah, Rashi Shah instructed by Kartikeya & Associates represented House of Abhinandan Lodha and its office holdersAdvocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, Sandhya Singh, Ashutosh Upadhaya, Tarini Kulkarni, Lokesh Kansal instructed by Anand & Naik appeared for Lodha Ventures and others.Advocates Rohan Kadam, Rohan Dakshini, Shweta Jayadev, Nikita Mishra, Anuja Bhansali, Urvi Gupte, Sailee Dhayalkar, Jai Sanyal, instructed by Rashmikant and Partners represented Abhinandan Lodha. Senior Advocate Janak Dwarkadas, with advocates Kunal Dwarkadas, Suraj Iyer instructed by Ganesh & Co. appeared for Abhishek Lodha.Advocate Chaitra Rao appeared for Lodha Advisory Services and Lodha Trusteeship..[Read Order]