Parties seeking to rely on video-link evidence should plan ahead and, where necessary, obtain local and foreign court approval. By Dan Smith The COVID-19 pandemic has (albeit by necessity) ushered in a move towards remote justice. The vaccine rollout continues, and as lockdown restrictions begin to ease, English courts are now considering to what extent … Continue Reading
By Eleanor M. Scogings English High Court stays litigation pending mediation. In Ohpen Operations UK Limited v. Invesco Fund Managers Limited,[i] the English court held that mediation was a condition precedent to the commencement of litigation and, accordingly, stayed the proceedings to enable mediation to take place. The decision confirms that an alternative dispute resolution … Continue Reading
Parties should avoid uncertainties by stipulating the applicable law to the arbitration agreement. By Eleanor M. Scogings and Robert Price The decision in J (Lebanon) v. K (Kuwait)[i] provides a useful analysis of which law (i.e., the law of the arbitration agreement or the law of the seat) governs the issue of whether a non-party … Continue Reading
The English High Court held the tribunal lacked jurisdiction as the defendant ceased to exist. By Eleanor M. Scogings In Ga-Hyun Chung v. Silver Dry Bulk Co Ltd,[i] the English High Court upheld a challenge to an award under Section 67 of the Arbitration Act (the Act). The award was made in favour of Silver … Continue Reading
English Supreme Court rules that there is no reasonable diligence requirement barring a fresh action to set aside a judgment obtained by fraud. Oliver E. Browne and Alex Cox Introduction In Takhar v Gracefield Developments Limited and others [2019] UKSC 13, the English Supreme Court considered whether a party applying to set aside an earlier … Continue Reading
A rare example of the English High Court varying an arbitral award. By Oliver E. Browne and Eleanor M. Scogings In Dakshu Patel v. Kesha Patel [2019] EWHC 298 (Ch), the English High Court upheld an appeal under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (the Act) against an arbitral award. The court concluded that … Continue Reading
The court offers guidance on reversing lawful dividend payments and when directors need to take into account creditors’ interests. By Simon J. Baskerville, Daniel Smith, Anna Hyde, Lisa Stevens, and Vanessa Morrison On 6 February 2019, the UK Court of Appeal published a judgment in BTI v. Sequana that will impact both creditors and directors … Continue Reading
The decision clarifies how lawyer-client privilege applies in the context of transactions. By Daniel Smith and James Fagan The recent English High Court decision Raiffeisen Bank International AG v Asia Coal Energy Ventures Limited and Ashurst provides guidance on the application of legal advice privilege in a transaction context, confirming that confidential client instructions can … Continue Reading
Arbitral tribunal had jurisdiction despite the lack of an express arbitration clause. By Eleanor M. Scogings and Robert Price In Sonact Group Limited v Premuda Spa [2018] EWHC 3820, the English High Court confirmed that an arbitral tribunal had jurisdiction over a dispute arising from an informal settlement agreement — despite the fact that the … Continue Reading
The English Court has set aside permission to bring proceedings against foreign defendants based on non-disclosures and subsequent conduct. By Dan Smith and Duncan Graves The recent decision in Punjab National Bank (International) Limited v Ravi Srinivasan and others [2019] EWHC 89 (Ch) provides guidance on the proper conduct of an application for service out … Continue Reading
An arbitration award cannot be enforced in England against a foreign State without serving the proceedings on that State through the diplomatic channels. By Robert Price In General Dynamics UK Ltd v Libya [2019] EWHC 64 (Comm), Males LJ, sitting in the Commercial Court, set aside parts of an order granting permission to enforce an … Continue Reading
The Court allows an application to extend time for bringing arbitration proceedings under section 12(3) of the Arbitration Act 1996. By Robert Price and Eleanor Scogings In the recent case of Haven Insurance Company Limited v EUI Limited (T/A Elephant Insurance)[i], the English Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal against a High Court decision granting … Continue Reading
Applicants challenging jurisdiction must satisfy a single three-limbed test, rather than establish a ‘good arguable case’ and ‘better of the argument’. By Oliver E. Browne and George Schurr The English Court of Appeal has clarified the correct test to be applied by the English courts when adjudicating a jurisdictional challenge. In the recent case of … Continue Reading
Third-party assets controlled (de facto or de jure) by the respondent are ordinarily outside the scope of a freezing injunction unless exceptional circumstances can be established. By Oliver E. Browne and George Schurr In the recent case of FM Capital Partners Ltd v Frédéric Marino, Aurélien Bessot, Yoshiki Ohmura, and Marit Sjovaag [2018] EWHC 2889 … Continue Reading
English High Court confirms that without notice applicants are under an onerous duty to satisfy the requirement of full and frank disclosure. By Oliver E. Browne, Robert Price, and George Schurr In the recent cases of Fundo Soberano de Angola & ors v. Jose Filomeno dos Santos & ors [2018] EWHC 2199 (Comm) and Galagaev … Continue Reading
English Court of Appeal reaffirms privilege over internal investigation documents prepared in contemplation of litigation. By Jon Holland, Andrea Monks, Stuart Alford QC, Nate Seltzer, Dan Smith, and James Fagan In a much anticipated decision, the Court of Appeal has reaffirmed legal privilege protection for documents prepared during internal investigations (e.g., interview notes, forensic accounting … Continue Reading
Favourable Supreme Court decision for ISPs finding they do not have to bear costs of complying with blocking orders. By Oliver Middleton Historically, internet service providers (ISPs) that have been ordered to block access to websites have had to bear their own costs of compliance on the basis that it was seen as being part … Continue Reading
England may become an increasingly attractive forum for follow on damages claims, particularly those involving indirect cartelised product purchases initially acquired outside EEA the in wake of iiyama decisions. By Oliver E. Browne and Hayley M. Pizzey Summary The English Court of Appeal has held iiyama’s two claims against cathode ray tube (CRT) cartelists and … Continue Reading
Judgment confirms the effectiveness of contractual provisions that prevent the parties from varying their contract orally. By Oliver E. Browne and Robert Price The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom recently held that an oral variation of a contract was invalid due to a No Oral Modification (NOM) clause contained in the contract. This clause … Continue Reading
The decision confirms that UNCITRAL Rules do not impose a higher procedural fairness burden than the Arbitration Act and that the foreign act of state doctrine applies in arbitrations. By Oliver E. Browne The Commercial Court considered various challenges to an arbitral award under the Arbitration Act 1996 (the Act) in Reliance Industries Ltd and … Continue Reading
Decision encourages a deferential approach to enforcing foreign awards in England and confirms narrow interpretation of the public policy exception under the New York Convention. By Oliver E. Browne and Samuel Pape The English Court of Appeal has confirmed the enforcement of a China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) award rendered in Beijing, … Continue Reading
By Stuart Alford QC, Daniel Smith and Clare Nida The UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the criminal dishonesty test in R v Ghosh is wrong and that courts should no longer follow this test. The recent decision in Ivey v Genting Casinos clarifies that the test for dishonesty in all proceedings (criminal and … Continue Reading
By Oliver Browne and Robert Price On 6 June 2017, the High Court held that there was sufficient evidence that an award of over US$500 million in damages against the Republic of Kazakhstan may be tainted by fraud and that this should be examined at trial (Stati v Kazakhstan [2017] EWHC 1348 (Comm)). This bold, … Continue Reading
By Jonathan Hew Lord Thomas has delivered a speech calling for the relationship between arbitration and the courts in England and Wales to be rebalanced. This has elicited strong responses from prominent members of the arbitration community, including Lord Saville and Sir Bernard Eder. The Judges’ Arguments Lord Thomas emphasised that publicly-debated court decisions are … Continue Reading
