The Court of Appeal has held that the so-called “reflective loss” principle will not bar the claim of a shareholder, who is also a contractual promisee/beneficiary, in circumstances where the company in which the shares are owned has acquired the right to bring a claim in respect of the same contract against the same wrongdoer … Read more

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by a purchaser in the context of its claim for damages for fraudulent misrepresentation against the sellers of certain business assets that it had acquired. In doing so, the Court of Appeal held that damages for fraudulent misrepresentation should, as a general rule, be assessed by ascertaining … Read more

Herbert Smith Freehills have contributed the England and Wales chapter of The Securities Litigation Review. Now in its seventh edition, The Securities Litigation Review is a guided introduction to the class action regimes for securities claims in the key jurisdictions across the globe, providing a valuable resource for corporates and financial institutions who might face … Read more

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has confirmed that qualified investors (as well as retail investors) can bring an action for damages on the basis of inaccuracies in a prospectus published to the public at large, as a matter of interpretation of Directive 2003/71/EC (the Prospectus Directive): Bankia SA v Unión Mutua … Read more

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP have published an article in Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law on intermediated securities in a securities class action context. The majority of investors in the UK hold their interests through an intermediated chain of securities. The relationships between the investors in the chain are governed by the contracts they … Read more

At a recent case management conference where a split trial was proposed by the parties in relation to a section 90A Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) claim, the High Court has held that reliance issues should be heard at the first trial rather than held over to the second trial: Allianz Global Investors … Read more

The Advocate General (AG) of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has handed down an unsurprising opinion on the interpretation of Directive 2003/71/EC (the Prospectus Directive), considering the liability of issuers to qualified investors in respect of inaccuracies in a prospectus: Bankia SA v UMAS (Case C-910/19) EU:C:2021:119 (11 February 2021), (Advocate … Read more

In November 2020, the UK Joint Government Regulator TCFD Taskforce published its “roadmap towards mandatory climate-related disclosures”, which set out a vision for the next five years. As an initial step towards fulfilling that vision, in January 2021, the new Listing Rule 9.8.6(8) (LR) came into force. The LR requires premium-listed issuers, in their periodic … Read more