A London judge has ordered Russian-born billionaire Vladislav Doronin not to dispose of his shares of hotel chain Aman Resorts ahead of a trial over the ownership of the luxe properties, which are a favorite with celebrities and wealthy clients including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

Property mogul Doronin insists he’s the sole owner of the ultra-luxe Aman hotel business, a group of 26 resorts in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which includes the stunning Amanyara in Turks and Caicos and Thailand’s Amanpuri Resort. He has been in a protracted court battle over the hotel chain with his one-time business partner, New York-based Omar Amanat.

Doronin and Amanat joined forces to buy Aman Resorts – which prides itself on its environment of tranquility and peace – with a $358 million bid in 2013, but their partnership quickly imploded into a series of wild allegations from both sides and complex lawsuits in New York and London.

On August 11 this year, Doronin proclaimed in a press release that his Pontwelly Holding Company Ltd. “has taken full ownership of the Aman hotel business” and that Amanat had “no further involvement with Aman” following a foreclosure on a loan worth around $168 million from one of Doronin’s companies.

But American entrepreneur and venture capitalist Amanat’s lawyers alleged in court papers that Doronin had “illegally” moved to seize Aman shares and transfer them to another of his companies in order to force Amanat out and take “ultimate control of Aman Resorts”.

London High Court judge Justice Warren warned on September 3 that Doronin and his companies would be held “in contempt . . . imprisoned, fined or have your assets seized” if they tried to transfer or dispose of the shares before November’s trial over who rightly owns the company.

Doronin has also been ordered not to make any further public statements about the ownership of the hotel chain ahead of the hearing.

Meanwhile, Doronin’s legal team insists he had the full right to foreclose on his loan, and contends that the judge’s order was merely procedural to preserve the status quo. They add that prior to the judge’s order, Doronin had voluntarily agreed not to sell, transfer or diminish the value of the shares before the trial. A rep for Doronin said, “We are aware of the court’s judgment [only] on the specific issue of there being no proactive comments on the ownership of Aman and we await the final hearing later on this year. Mr. Doronin looks forward to when this matter is finally resolved in his favor.”