In a recent decision the Court of Appeal has re-emphasised that the purpose of a search order (formerly known as an Anton Piller order) is to preserve evidence that is at risk of being destroyed by a defendant or potential defendant, and that a search order does not allow a claimant to inspect documents to … Read more

In the case of GML International Ltd v Harfield [2020] 7 WLUK 362, the High Court granted a post-judgment worldwide freezing order against a judgment debtor who had advanced a concocted case at trial. The Judge’s finding that there was a risk of the judgment debtor dissipating his assets appears to have been based substantially … Read more

The High Court has held that statements made in a “without prejudice” (WP) mediation paper were admissible as they were to be used to rebut allegations of fraud, by showing that the claimants had known about, and approved, the transactions said to constitute the alleged fraud: Berkeley Square Holdings v Lancer Property Asset Management Ltd … Read more

The High Court has held that evidence of statements made in “without prejudice” settlement discussions should be admitted in support of an application for a freezing order. The respondents’ threat – to move assets and structure its affairs to frustrate the applicants’ enforcement of a US judgment – fell within the narrow “unambiguous impropriety” exception … Read more

A High Court Master has found that documents held by a firm of solicitors on behalf of a former client were not protected by legal professional privilege, as there was a strong prima facie case that the firm had been instructed for the purpose of furthering the client’s fraudulent investment scheme: Addlesee v Dentons Europe … Read more

The High Court has held that cryptoassets (in this case Bitcoin) can be treated as property under English law. As such, the owner of a cryptoasset can, in appropriate circumstances, avail itself of the various proprietary remedies that a court is able to grant. The practical significance here was that an insurer that had paid … Read more

A recent High Court decision serves as a reminder that there is no strict rule excluding evidence that is improperly obtained, and that in circumstances where the evidence is relevant, has probative value, and does not impact the fairness of the litigation, the courts are inclined to admit the evidence: Mustard v Flower [2019] EWHC 2623 … Read more

The Supreme Court has upheld the first successful claim for breach of the so-called Quincecare duty of care, which requires a financial institution to refrain from executing a customer’s payment mandate if (and so long as) it is “put on inquiry” that the order is an attempt to misappropriate its customer’s funds: Singularis Holdings Ltd … Read more