The High Court has struck out certain of the claims brought against G4S under section 90A Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), in a judgment which emphasises the risks inherent in issuing complex group litigation shortly before the expiry of an arguable limitation period: Various Claimants v G4S plc [2021] EWHC 524 (Ch). The decision brings into sharp relief the need for claimants to balance the tension between the crucial practice of book-building and awaiting regulatory investigations on the one hand and limitation periods on the other. Ultimately, in this case, the court had little sympathy for claimants who had failed to get their “ducks in a pen, let alone in a row” prior to the expiry of the limitation period.
The successful application will have a significant impact on the proceedings, with approximately 90% of the quantum of the claims being struck out.
The claims were primarily struck out on the basis that new claimants cannot be added to an existing claim form using CPR 17.1, which allows a party to amend its statement of case before it has been served. The Court also held that, in order for new claimants to be properly added to an existing claim form, a separate document recording their written consent must be filed with the court pursuant to CPR 19.4(4). The filing of an amended claim form, signed by the claimants’ solicitor, does not constitute such consent.
The Court further considered whether to grant the claimants permission to amend the claimants’ names where certain claimants were incorrectly identified on the claim form. The judgment provides a helpful reiteration of the legal principles which apply when the Court is considering whether to exercise its discretion to amend party names following the expiry of a limitation period.
Herbert Smith Freehills acts for the defendant, G4S, in this matter.
For more information see this post on our Banking Litigation Notes blog.
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