In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has confirmed that the right to draw down under loan agreements is caught by the expanded definition of "asset" contained in the current standard Commercial Court form of freezing order which includes "any asset which it (the respondent) has the power, directly or indirectly, to dispose of or … Read more

“Happy is he who can trace effects to their causes”, Virgil observed. Well, victims of fraud will certainly be happy with the Privy Council’s decision in The Federal Republic of Brazil v Durant International Corporation (Jersey) [2015] UKPC 35. In an appeal from the Court of Appeal of Jersey, the Board confirmed the availability of … Read more

Over the next few weeks we will be delivering a number of disputes-related webinars for Herbert Smith Freehills clients and contacts, including on: what to do when you’ve been given notice of a freezing order; the increasing risk of class actions in the UK; and how to know when you have a binding contract. In relation … Read more

The Court of Appeal has refused to set aside a settlement agreement on the basis of new evidence indicating that the claimant’s case had been fraudulently exaggerated:  Hayward v Zurich Insurance Co plc [2015] EWCA Civ 327. Settlement agreements may be set aside on the same grounds as any other contract, including on the basis … Read more

The Supreme Court has unanimously upheld a Court of Appeal decision refusing to strike out a claim by a “one-man” company in liquidation, which had been the vehicle for a VAT fraud, against its former directors and overseas suppliers alleged to have been involved in the fraud: Jetivia SA v Bilta (UK) Limited [2015] UKSC … Read more

Very often, when seeking to obtain a freezing injunction, the true extent of the defendant’s assets is unclear. Complex and opaque offshore corporate or trust structures may mask the true ownership of assets. A mere connection between a defendant and assets held by third parties will not be sufficient to freeze those assets: the claimant … Read more

Our trusts, fraud and asset tracing group has published its bi-annual fraud update, which includes the following articles: Freezing injunctions: whose assets are covered? A view from Hong Kong: top court looks at attribution of knowledge of fraudulent acts by directors to a company Supreme Court corrects “wrong turn” in English law, holding that bribes received by an agent are held on … Read more