The Mystery of A v B Uncovers a London Fight Club for the Rich

• London remains the destination of choice for major court cases • Glencore, Deripaska and Angola were all recently in court

On a sunny Friday morning in central London, journalists were looking for A v B, a case scheduled for London’s commercial court.

Finding the lawsuit could lead to illuminating details about a fascinating case of sanctions, alleged corruption and mines producing a metal used in Tesla Inc. batteries.

Unfortunately, A v B is the way the courts help keep litigation private, in cases where there are links to arbitration or the danger of leaks of commercial secrets. And on Friday, ...