ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN 3: THE COUNTY COURT HAD JURISDICTION TO ENFORCE AN ORDER FOR SALE OF MORE THAN £30,000
Does the County Court have jurisdiction to enforce an order for sale when the sums in dispute are more than £30,000? That was the issue considered here. The case is another reminder (if one were needed) about the dangers and…
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE DEFENDANT IS NOT WORTH SUING? AN EFFECTIVE REMEDY AGAINST THE “MAN OF STRAW” IN PERSONAL INJURY CASES: A REMINDER TO LOOK AT YOUR OWN CLIENT’S HOME INSURANCE
A perennial problem for litigators is the situation where a claimant has a good case but the Defendant is impecunious and uninsured. In many (but not all) motor claims the Motor Insurers Bureau will provide a practical remedy. In all…
FRAUDSTERS OPERATING IN THE GUISE OF OFFICIAL COURT ENFORCEMENT STAFF: £45,549 LOST: A WARNING TO ALL DEFENDANTS AND JUDGMENT DEBTORS HERE
A judgment debtor is in a vulnerable position. There are companies out there taking advantage of that vulnerability by pretending to be official enforcement agencies and taking money off the debtors. We have such a case reported here. The judge…
ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN 1: ISSUES WHEN SEEKING TO ENFORCE A JUDGMENT AGAINST A PARTY’S PENSION FUND: IT MAY BE A MATTER OF TIMING
Enforcement is an important part of the civil litigation process. If a litigant won’t pay the sums due under a court order then the whole process was, most probably, for nothing. The aim of this series is to look at…
APPLICATION TO ENFORCE A TRIBUNAL AWARD WAS MADE TO THE WRONG COURT AND WAS SET ASIDE: CPR 3.10 DID NOT ASSIST WHEN THERE WAS A FUNDAMENTAL ERROR GOING TO JURISDICTION
Here we have a case where the claimant was found to have made a fundamental error of procedure when seeking to enforce an Employment Tribunal award. An application was made to the wrong court. The County Court was the only court…
BANKRUPTCY PETITION DISMISSED: THE PRECISE SUMS DUE (IF ANY) COULD, AND SHOULD, BE DETERMINED IN THE COUNTY COURT
One way to enforce a debt higher than £5,000 is to issue a bankruptcy petition. However problems for the would be petitioner can occur if the debt is disputed. We see such a case here. The judge held that there…
SUING AN IMPECUNIOUS DEFENDANT IN A PERSONAL INJURY CASE: LOOK AT YOUR OWN CLIENT’S INSURANCE POLICY…
Every couple of years I repost the second post ever on this blog -“suing the man of straw”. The points made remain a surprise to many. An injured claimant may be able to recover unpaid damages from their own insurer….
IF YOU’VE MADE THE DEFENDANT BANKRUPT – YOU CAN’T COMPLAIN WHEN YOU’VE GOT WHAT YOU ASKED FOR
The judgment of the Court of Appeal today in Michael Wilson & Partners Ltd v Sinclair & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 505 contains an important lesson to litigators considering enforcing a judgment. The claimant had made the defendant bankrupt whilst…
GOING BANKRUPT DID NOT RELEASE BANKRUPT FROM A JUDGMENT DEBT: JUDGE GIVES PERMISSION FOR ENFORCEMENT PROCEEDINGS TO CONTINUE DESPITE A SUBSTANTIAL DELAY
In Jones & Pyle Developments Ltd v Rymell [2021] EWHC 385 (Ch) HHJ Paul Matthews found that a judgment debt was not released by bankruptcy. He also allowed enforcement proceedings to continue, despite a substantial delay. THE CASE The claimant…
BENCH WARRANT ISSUED IN CIVIL ACTION: WARRANT ISSUED TO ENSURE DEFENDANT’S ATTENDANCE AT A HEARING
In Hanson & Ors v Carlino & Anor [2019] EWHC 1366 (Ch) Mr Justice Birss issued a bench warrant to ensure a defendant’s attendance at a hearing. The defendant had a history of non-compliance and attempts to avoid the…
WHEN ENFORCEMENT PROCEEDINGS GO WRONG: IF YOU CAN’T OPERATE BY THE RULES THEY MAY TAKE YOUR LICENCE AWAY…
The enforcement of judgments is an aspect of civil procedure that rarely makes the law reports. In Rooftops South West Ltd & Ors v Ash Interiors (UK) Ltd & Ors [2018] EWHC 2799 (QB) Master Davison was highly critical of the…
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION WHEN A DEFENDANT IN A PI CASE WILL NOT PAY: LOOK AT YOUR OWN CLIENT’S HOME INSURANCE POLICY
I am repeating something that has appeared in this blog twice already. However it is a topic that that has featured in recent legal discussions on Twitter. That is the use of your own client’s home insurance policy to recover damages…
INTERPLEADER PROCEEDINGS: FILLING THE GAP IN THE RULES
In Celador Radio Ltd v Rancho Steak House Ltd (Equitable Interpleader – Enforcement) [2018] EWHC 219 (QB) Master McCloud had to look back at a few centuries of jurisprudence in order to find a solution to a very modern problem. What…
AN UNAPOLOGETIC REPEAT: WHY YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR OWN CLIENT’S INSURANCE BEFORE GIVING UP ON A PERSONAL INJURY CASE
Every year or so I repeat one point about insurance. It has caused a stir every time I have written about it. As the numbers of people who read this blog increase, and because people can forget things. I am…
WHEN THE ASSETS DISAPPEAR FROM A JUDGEMENT DEBTOR: POTENTIAL CAUSES OF ACTION EXPLORED
The first rule of Law School is (or should be) “don’t sue anyone who doesn’t have the cash to pay”. The most meritorious case coupled with the most astute legal team is going to get blood out of a stone….
SOCIAL MEDIA: THE BLACK COUNTRY AND CRUISING FOR A FALL: DEFENDANT FILM THYSELF
It is easy to cause problems on social media. It is particularly easy to cause problems for yourself. We have looked several times at the role of social media in the courts. Another example can be found in the judgment…
SUING THE “MAN OF STRAW”: WHY YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR OWN CLIENT’S INSURANCE BEFORE GIVING UP ON A PERSONAL INJURY CASE
There was recently some comment, and quite a few readers, of a post on “suing the man of straw”. This was the second post ever on this site. There were comments on Twitter that people were surprised by the post…


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