JSC Mezhdunarodniy Promyshlenniy Bank & Anor v Pugachev & Ors [2015] EWCA Civ 906

December 2015 #155

In 1992 Mr Pugachev founded the first claimant bank (Mezhprom). In November 2010 the Moscow Arbitrazh Court declared Mezhprom to be insolvent, opened liquidation proceedings and appointed the second claimant (the DIA) as liquidator. On 25 January 2011 the Russian authorities began a criminal investigation with regard to the insolvency of Mezhprom and three days later Mr Pugachev fled Russia. On 2 December 2013 the claimants began proceedings against Mr Pugachev in the Moscow Arbitrazh Court.

On 11 July 2014 Henderson J granted a worldwide freezing order without notice in aid of th...

Herbert v Doyle & anr [2010] EWCA Civ 1095

November 2015 #154

The appellant (Mr Herbert) owned the freehold of a house and a large garden. The respondents (Mr Doyle and Mr Talati) owned the freehold of an adjacent property comprising a dental surgery with nine parking spaces. They also leased part of the ground floor in the main house from Mr Herbert. They carried on a practice as dental practitioners from the freehold and leasehold premises and they and their clients used the parking spaces. Mr Herbert wished to develop the former walled garden of Mansfield House and to build mews houses, but to do so he needed Mr Doyle and Mr Talati to exchange s...

King v The Chiltern Dog Rescue & anr [2015] EWCA Civ 581

September 2015 #152

June Margaret Fairbrother (deceased) lived at 12 Kingcroft Road, Harpenden (property) with a number of cats and dogs, of which she was very fond, as she had no children. It was common knowledge within her family that she intended to leave her estate to animal charities which she supported. By a will dated 20 March 1998 (last will) the deceased left her residuary estate to seven such charities (charities). The claimant, who was a nephew, came to live with the deceased, when she was 78 years old, in the summer of 2007. The arrangement was that he would care for his aunt in return for a hom...

P v P [2015] EWCA Civ 447

July/August 2015 #151

A husband and wife met in 1999 and married in 2003. They had one child together, of primary school age at the time of the proceedings. In 2005 the husband and wife moved into a farmhouse owned by the husband’s parents. In 2009 the husband’s parents settled the farmhouse on a discretionary trust for the benefit of their children and remoter descendants. Subject to the power to appoint the capital and income to the discretionary beneficiaries, the farmhouse was held on trust to pay the income to the husband for life, and it was declared that the making of any land comprised within the trus...

Ben Nevis (Holdings) Ltd & anr v HMRC [2013] EWCA Civ 578

January/February 2014 #136

David King, a South African businessman, is the owner of Ben Nevis, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Following various hearings and appeals, Ben Nevis was found liable to the Commissioner for the South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) for taxes of Rand 2.6bn (approximately £222m) for the 1998, 1999 and 2000 tax years. In March 2011 judgment was entered against Ben Nevis in South Africa for this sum.

SARS alleged that Mr King transferred Ben Nevis’ assets to Metlinka Trading Ltd when he learned of the tax investigations and £7.8m was credited to a London ba...

Sharma v Sharma & ors [2013] EWCA Civ 1287

January/February 2014 #136

In April 2003 qualified dentist Anushika Sharma acquired her first dental practice. In January 2007 she acquired a second practice and in July 2007 she was provided with an opportunity to purchase a third. This opportunity prompted a family meeting to discuss Anushika’s expanding empire. Jagesh Sharma (Sunny), Keshbala Sharma and Rajesh Sharma (Anushika’s then husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law respectively) and Anushika were in attendance. During this meeting it was determined that a company (ADC Ltd) would be set up to purchase the third practice rather than Anushika doing this ...