A contract dispute triggered by a decision of the Ukrainian authorities to restrict grain exports resulted in lengthy arbitration procedures and a High Court hearing, and culminated in a ruling that a shipping deal was prematurely terminated. The sellers had agreed to supply the buyers
A businessman who was hit with a record £250,000 fine for his repeated defiance of planning laws in making unauthorised use of farmland for non-agricultural purposes has had his ‘too severe’ penalty more than halved by the Court of Appeal. The man had laid hard
In a warning to developers who flout planning laws that they will be stripped of their ill-gotten gains, a man who converted a single home into flats without permission has been ordered to pay more than £100,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The
A couple who endured untold heartbreak when their £4 million eco-home burnt to the ground when it was close to completion have won the right to full compensation for their loss from a construction company involved in the project. The couple sued the company for
In giving crucial guidance on the tax implications of directors making use of company assets, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) considered in depth an entrepreneur’s glittering world of ocean-going yachts, fabulous jewels and contacts with the elite of Formula 1 racing. The man and his wife
With effect from 30 June, the HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) fee remission application process has been simplified. The main changes are: It is no longer necessary to provide original copies of documents. Photocopies will be accepted; Applicants no longer have to declare
In a decision which helps to define the status of informal, ‘hand shake’ agreements, a tribunal has ruled that a man who initiated a £43 million property deal over coffee in a top London restaurant was ‘acting in the course of a business’ and was
When a landlord decided to change the address of a building (by changing the name to that of an incoming and significant tenant), the other tenants reacted badly. Faced with the costs of reprinting stationery and the like, they opposed the move and the outcome
A man who says that he has lived for more than a decade in a converted British Telecom repeater station has failed in a High Court challenge to a planning inspector’s order that his residential use of the premises must cease. The man had been
The High Court has come to the aid of a company which invested Euros 100 million after being taken in by fraudsters who promised ‘fabulous’ returns and even invoked the Vatican in their successful attempt to ‘dazzle’ experienced business people. The company was told that
