Indemnity Costs Orders – Guidance from the Court of Appeal

In the case of Lejonvarn v Burgess & Anr the Court of Appeal considered whether a claimant’s conduct during litigation, including its “haphazard and spray gun” case, justified an award for indemnity costs to the defendant. Background The defendant, an […]

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What Amounts to ‘Reasonable Endeavours’?

In contrast to a ‘best endeavours’ obligation, a contractual obligation to use ‘reasonable endeavours’ will generally only require a party to take one of a number of reasonable courses of action in order to discharge the obligation. In addition, a […]

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Will the TCC Interfere in Ongoing Adjudications?

In the case of Billingford Holdings Ltd & BFL Trade Ltd v SMC Building Solutions Ltd and another [2019], the court rejected an urgent application for injunctive relief attempting to prevent an adjudicator and the other party to an adjudication […]

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Is Payment Required for the Vesting of Materials Under a Vesting Certificate?

In the recent case of VVB M&E Group Limited & Anor v Optilan (UK) Limited, the court considered the terms of two ambiguously worded vesting certificates to determine whether ownership of materials had vested in the transferee. Background In 2015, […]

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Implied Terms Relating to Discretionary Assessments

In the recent case of Everwarm Limited v BN Rendering Limited, the court considered a claim by Everwarm Limited (“Everwarm”) relating to an alleged overpayment of £798,468 to BN Rendering Limited (“BN”), and a counterclaim by BN in relation to […]

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Hybrid Construction Contracts: Payment Notice Requirements

In the recent case of C Spencer Limited v MW High Tech Projects UK Limited, the court considered a Part 8 ‘smash and grab’ claim for around £2 million, brought by C Spencer Limited (“CSL”) against MW High Tech Projects […]

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Is Requiring “sign-off” Before Payment Permissible?

The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, as amended (the “Act”) requires that all construction contracts contain a compliant regime of interim and final payments. In the recent case of Bennett (Construction) Limited (“Bennett”) v CIMC MBS Limited (formerly […]

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Extension of Time Applications for Unless Orders

In Everwarm Limited v BN Rendering Limited (Rev 2) [2019], the court considered which CPR rule should apply when deciding whether to grant a last-minute application for an extension of time in which to comply with an ‘unless order’. Background […]

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Fraud, Duress and Undue Influence – Guidance from the TCC

A recent TCC decision considered the hurdles to overcome in order to prove whether agreements are executed in circumstances of fraud, duress and/or undue influence. In the recent case of Nua Facades Limited; Nua Interiors Limited; Silk Property Developments Limited […]

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Exception Clauses and Causation – Guidance from the Court of Appeal

A recent Court of Appeal decision considered the extent to which an exceptions clause requires a party to prove that, notwithstanding the force majeure event, it would still have performed its obligations. In the recent case of Classic Maritime Inc. […]

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