Litigation Notes

Court of Appeal decision confirms severe consequences where business partner for exploitation of oil-extraction technology breached fiduciary duty

The Court of Appeal has substantially upheld the first instance decisions in a lengthy piece of ongoing litigation relating to a joint business venture …

Commercial Court finds buyer entitled to repayment of advance payment where delivery prevented by force majeure

High Court tests newly narrowed scope of the “reflective loss” rule in first decision since the Supreme Court’s judgment in Marex

In the first decision to consider the so-called “reflective loss” principle since the Supreme Court’s judgment in Sevilleja v …

High Court decision suggests damages may be calculated differently where claimant is hopelessly insolvent

In a recent decision, the High Court declined to strike out a claim against a bank for alleged breach of a Quincecare duty on the ground that the …

Court of Appeal considers application of "SAAMCO" principle in context of auditor's negligence case

The Court of Appeal has held that, where an auditor negligently failed to detect management's dishonest concealment of the claimant's insolvency, it was …

Privy Council finds loss of profits under separate contract not too remote to be recoverable

On an appeal from the Court of Appeal of the British Virgin Islands, the Privy Council has considered the damages that should have been awarded to a …

Supreme Court confirms existence and scope of “reflective loss” rule

The Supreme Court’s judgment in Sevilleja v Marex Financial Ltd [2020] UKSC 31 has been eagerly anticipated by financial institutions and brings much …

Unjust enrichment: High Court finds claimant entitled to restitution of the value of services provided in anticipation of a contract

The High Court has held that a supplier of soft toys was entitled to restitution of the value of the services it had provided to a toy designer, in …

Court of Appeal decision illustrates proper application of compensatory principle of damages, as well as modern approach to contractual interpretation

High Court awards full purchase price as damages for breach of warranty under share purchase agreement

The High Court has held that a purchaser was entitled to an award of damages amounting to the full purchase price under a share purchase agreement …

Court of Appeal confirms no claim for third party's loss unless common intention to benefit the third party at the time of contracting

The Court of Appeal has held that, where a buyer wrongly terminated a two year contract, the seller could only claim its own loss of profit and not that …

High Court reaffirms orthodoxy in assessing damages for breach of warranty in a share purchase agreement