McLaren designer's hearing called off at high court

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) A further High Court clash between Formula One team Ferrari and McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan was called off at the eleventh hour today.

The case of Ferrari v Coughlan had been listed for another hearing at London's High Court, following Tuesday's preliminary hearing in which Coughlan and his wife Trudy were alleged to have ''behaved disgracefully'' by copying and keeping documents belonging to Ferrari.

Yesterday, Judge John Briggs ordered the Coughlans to deliver affidavits to Ferrari by 1030 local time today, saying that a further hearing would go ahead if they did not comply.

The court had heard yesterday that the Coughlans' lawyers were considering whether producing the affidavits would potentially affect the couple's rights to avoid self-incrimination in respect of related criminal proceedings in Italy.

A hearing was listed for today but by the time the judge sat at 1030 it had been removed from the list. No lawyers from either side attended court.

REUTERS BJR VV2052