Allocation questionnaire

[caro]

I would strongly advise an application and fee on an N244. I have known people try to bypass this with a letter, and be told by the judge that if they had applied properly they would have agreed to the application, but they couldn't do it without.

 

Of course you could always ask for costs, so if successful may get the money back.

[Consumer dude]

I would strongly advise an application and fee on an N244. I have known people try to bypass this with a letter, and be told by the judge that if they had applied properly they would have agreed to the application, but they couldn't do it without.

 

Of course you could always ask for costs, so if successful may get the money back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear what your saying about the application and the fee. I have also done an amended witness statement which I could attach to the N224 and its application, what do you think ?

 

I am presenting my self as a friend in litigation and my witness statement explains that. Is it automatic that the hearing will be in chambers, ie not in public court, should I seek to confirm that before the day ? I am trying to get all this in by next week at the latest, thus a clear two weeks before the hearing date. Is my timing on this ok ?

 

Do I need to send anythink else to the claimant ?

[Consumer dude]

I hear what your saying about the application and the fee. I have also done an amended witness statement which I could attach to the N224 and its application, what do you think ?

 

I am presenting my self as a friend in litigation and my witness statement explains that. Is it automatic that the hearing will be in chambers, ie not in public court, should I seek to confirm that before the day ? I am trying to get all this in by next week at the latest, thus a clear two weeks before the hearing date. Is my timing on this ok ?

 

Do I need to send anythink else to the claimant ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course I don't understand why on the request for the CCA as mentioned in the claim form they send a CCA (no terms and conditions) with a different agreement number. That on its own should get the claim struck out but hey what do I know ?

[caro]

I hear what your saying about the application and the fee. I have also done an amended witness statement which I could attach to the N224 and its application, what do you think ?

 

Sounds good to me.

 

I am presenting my self as a friend in litigation and my witness statement explains that. Is it automatic that the hearing will be in chambers, ie not in public court, should I seek to confirm that before the day ?

 

Might be a good idea. You could explain your OH is finding this very daunting and ask if it could be done in chambers.

 

 

I am trying to get all this in by next week at the latest, thus a clear two weeks before the hearing date. Is my timing on this ok ?

 

Sounds good to me.

 

Do I need to send anythink else to the claimant ?

 

Double check all of your paperwork from the court to check.

 

Of course I don't understand why on the request for the CCA as mentioned in the claim form they send a CCA (no terms and conditions) with a different agreement number. That on its own should get the claim struck out but hey what do I know ?

 

I really don't know. Seems very odd to me too.

[Consumer dude]

The correct term is lay representative I believe, my mistake. The time is getting near, and yes I am a tad nervous. It feels like David v goliath.

 

Went to the court and I need to put a letter in to request I be allowed to talk on behalf of OH. What happens if they don'nt give permission ? Is this likely, and then what.

 

They (the claimant sent a default notice) with there recent amended witness statement, but still no temination notice, Is the termination notice a legal requirement ?

 

I have asked this question before but I'm still none the wiser, and it is this.. If the CCA has been requested as per the claim and they have not sent it or we have not received it, or even on the day in court they do not produce it, can the court rule on the claim ? A cca had been sent but a different agreement number on it.

 

Should I even not bother paying for a strike out as if the court might not even be able to rule on the claim as the CCA as in the orignal claim can not be produced. More help required on this please..

[johnnymitch]

CD , if the CCA has not been complied with , which it obviously hasn't ....(how do you know that that other agreement with a different number is yours , or someone else's) ..... I don't see that a court could even consider making a judgement in their favour .....

 

And as I think I've said before ...they have to provide you with copies of everything they intend to rely on in court ... so they can't just 'pull a rabbit out of the hat' at the hearing ......it's not admissible ....

[Consumer dude]

CD , if the CCA has not been complied with , which it obviously hasn't ....(how do you know that that other agreement with a different number is yours , or someone else's) ..... I don't see that a court could even consider making a judgement in their favour .....

 

And as I think I've said before ...they have to provide you with copies of everything they intend to rely on in court ... so they can't just 'pull a rabbit out of the hat' at the hearing ......it's not admissible ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

copies of everything they intend to rely on in court, now thats the thing. With the fact its a different agreement number with no terms and conditions even supplied with that CCA, would any one else even bother paying out seventy five pounds on an applcation for a strike out when on paper they have'nt even produced the documents required..

[johnnymitch]

I certainly wouldn't ...... let them hang themselves in court if they're that daft !

[Consumer dude]

I certainly wouldn't ...... let them hang themselves in court if they're that daft !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is daft at that, and i'm going to save me money..

[Consumer dude]

I think that's most unusual CD .... are we talking 'small claims court' here - or something more substantial ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claim is for 12k but its down as small claims which sounds strange..

[Consumer dude]

This is what we have then with just over two weeks to go.

 

A claim form with an agreement number that has'nt presented A CCA and a CCA with an agreement number that has'nt been on any claim form..

[Consumer dude]

This is the second attemp at a Hearing. OH knows that she will have to turn up this time. I believe now that the claimants claim is flawed.

 

Should I put in a claim for costs and can that be presented on the day, if so that give me two weeks to work out the costs and what should be claimed ?

 

The other thing on my mind at the moment is because OH did'nt turn up last time, will any one likely to say any think about that ?

[Blossomandebony]

Hi, Consumerdude,

 

Have a look at this thread - it should be useful in preparing yourself for court.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collection-industry/191353-what-if-judge-asks.html?highlight=what+do+you+say+when+the+judge+asks

 

 

BAE

[caro]

This is the second attemp at a Hearing. OH knows that she will have to turn up this time. I believe now that the claimants claim is flawed.

 

Does the defence clearly state this? Do you need to change your defence in light of the documentation that you have received?

 

If it does need changing you need to submit an N244 and a fee UNLESS the other side agree to the change, in which case there will be no fee. If they see that you have a strong case they may consider withdrawing the case and put you in a very strong bargaining position.

 

 

Should I put in a claim for costs and can that be presented on the day, if so that give me two weeks to work out the costs and what should be claimed ?

 

Yes

 

The other thing on my mind at the moment is because OH did'nt turn up last time, will any one likely to say any think about that ?

 

She was lucky that she was given another chance so I suggest that she grovels an apology to the court about her fears and thanks profusely for the courts kind consideration in allowing her another opportunity to present her case with your assistance. May be best if she does this before anyone has a chance to say anything about it and try to make use of it.

[Consumer dude]

Well, the request for specfic documentation was ignored and under the courts directive. Not sure what you mean by does the defence clearly state this ?

 

A default notice was delieved recently but no CCA has ever arrived with the exact details as in the original or amended claim. The original agreement number, I don't think a CCA exsists and this alleged agreement from 2004 looks like its unenforcable as it has not been executed and the agreement number from it is not in the claim form anyway.

 

Even if we don't fill out an N224, surely the claim as it is can not been enforced..

[Consumer dude]

I have done an amended witness statement myself confirming what I know to be the truth. Of course I would fill out a N224 but am not sure there is anythink to be gained from it.

 

At the end of the day, if the other side have'nt sent what has been requested and no valid CCA exsists then won't it just get thrown out or at the very least found to be unenforcable.

 

Having said that, I am not sure what agreement can be found to be unenforceable if no CCA exsists for the details in the claim form.

[freethemice]

Are you named on the allocation questionaire as a witness?

 

Read this thread from top to bottom and I have to say I have great concern.

 

As you have not been able to show us any of the agreements to us it may well be that the 2004 loan simply paid off the previous sum and what they have admitted in court will stand. No-one on here can say without viewing what has been submitted by the claimant.

Regardless if you deny anything they say you should have clearly stated this in your defence or by letter.

Have you actually expressed your concerns about the agreement numbers to the Claimant. If not they will just claim.

"we were unaware the defendant disagreed with our evidence. Naturally if they had written to us we would have clarified this or brought the original documents to court."

The way this looks is that you asked for documents under cpr - they responded - you stayed quiet. How were they to know you weren't happy with their response?

 

Without challenging you can be seen to have accepted whatever they have told you and the court.

 

Now you mention a default notice but again are not posting it or letting us know any of the specifics.

 

I hate to be cruel but I can see a good barrister running rings around you on this one.

 

You also seem to be getting confused with the ppi issue.

 

If you disagree an agreement existed you should have defended to this. You should then have moved on:

'Regardless of the issues above if the court decides that there was an agreement between the parties then the defendant requests permission to reconsider the defence as the amount claimed includes ppi charges not agreed to which can only be set off against a binding agreement.'

 

You cannot claim ppi without first accepting an agreement was in place this only comes up once you accept the agreement was binding or once the judge orders that it is.

Edited July 11, 2010 by freethemice

[Consumer dude]

Are you named on the allocation questionaire as a witness?

 

Read this thread from top to bottom and I have to say I have great concern.

 

As you have not been able to show us any of the agreements to us it may well be that the 2004 loan simply paid off the previous sum and what they have admitted in court will stand. No-one on here can say without viewing what has been submitted by the claimant.

Regardless if you deny anything they say you should have clearly stated this in your defence or by letter.

Have you actually expressed your concerns about the agreement numbers to the Claimant. If not they will just claim.

"we were unaware the defendant disagreed with our evidence. Naturally if they had written to us we would have clarified this or brought the original documents to court."

The way this looks is that you asked for documents under cpr - they responded - you stayed quiet. How were they to know you weren't happy with their response?

 

Without challenging you can be seen to have accepted whatever they have told you and the court.

 

Now you mention a default notice but again are not posting it or letting us know any of the specifics.

 

I hate to be cruel but I can see a good barrister running rings around you on this one.

 

You also seem to be getting confused with the ppi issue.

 

If you disagree an agreement existed you should have defended to this. You should then have moved on:

'Regardless of the issues above if the court decides that there was an agreement between the parties then the defendant requests permission to reconsider the defence as the amount claimed includes ppi charges not agreed to which can only be set off against a binding agreement.'

 

You cannot claim ppi without first accepting an agreement was in place this only comes up once you accept the agreement was binding or once the judge orders that it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was difficult to know how to reply to this but I will attempt to do so.

 

I do not have the original allocation questionare to hand but I'm almost sure I am named as a witness.

 

Every attempt has been made to defend the claim but in order to do so it must surly be reaonable to receive a copy of the original CCA (as requested and as metioned in the claimants claim. This very simple request has been ignored.

 

What has been sent instead is a copy of an aleged agreement from 2004 which has already been confirmed on this site as not been executed and therefore unenforceable. This aleged agreement superseeds (I think thats the term) any previous agreement.

 

I somewhat confused the issue by posting up the 2004 agreement under a different user name however I am satisfied that this agreement from 2004 is at the very least unenfoeceable.

 

Where that leaves any agreement from 1998 I do not know but unless the other side send a copy of that with the terms and conditions as requested where does any defence start.

 

As metioned before no agreement from 1998 has been sent and to which the claim is based on that agreement number.

 

I am not sure where you are getting the idea that my request for documents under CPR rules was responded to, they did'nt and they have'nt.

 

What you say about the PPI makes sense, and as such no claim has been made for mis-selling simply because until a CCA that is stated in the claim is presented then any claim is on hold.

 

Not sure I've answered all the points, but its a learing curve at the least.

 

One final point for now is (as time is running out) and if any one is any the wiser, where do I take it from here ?

[freethemice]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-debt-issues/267014-cca-agreement.html#post3024301

 

The above is the link to the agreement in question.

 

Multiple threads have confused this issue and will not help.

 

I do understand the stress these matters cause and am not trying to be cruel or get you down. I would just rather you enter court well prepared and with a chance of success than build you up for a fall.

 

I believe you did state they resent the above form following your request so far from 'ignoring your request' they would claim they complied and were unaware of a problem.

 

The 1998 agreement finished when the 2004 loan paid it off. It is the 2004 loan the claimant is claiming monies due under. If they are using a difenent number this does need to be brought to the judges attention and an explanation found.

 

"Sir how can I defend against loan number xxx when this agreement clearly ended and was paid in full by loan number xxx. This is very confusing and has frustrated my defence and wasted court time."

 

A problem does exist with the execution as the creditor signed a day before the debtor.

The 2004 loan looks to be incomplete.

This document names repayment terms on the reverse and I would guess the claimant has witnessed that cancellation details would also have been here.

This also rings alarm bells for me as the Wakeman ruling makes these under the same 4 corners of the agreement so the terms and condition supplied to court could be binding if proved.

If you do want to challenge this you have to push the claimant to show these terms were the actual terms present on the reverse of the agreement.

Alot of firms destroyed these agreements and just microfiched the front page. However they can witness 'what it would have looked like' by reconstructing this from other records.

This is not impossible to fight but does rely on questioning witnesses and I do get the feeling it would be just too stressful for you.

Looking at a defence based on unfair terms and conditions may be of benefit here especially if the ppi had hidden commission as discussed on other threads.

Research success stories and look for the ones with ppi to see how they did it.

 

If you do want to continue fighting make a list of the documents you need to defend (reverse of the agreement for one) and send a second cpr31.14 request naming these documents. Where the other side have provided something be clear why this does not meet your needs.

Also make a list of why you are still fighting and the best and worst you can realisticly expect.

If a court date is close ask the court and the other side for a stay while you seek these documents.

 

Best current advice I have heard on here is to use this site to prepare your case then pay a barrister to represent you on the day. Expensive but they do seem to be taken more seriously by a judge.

 

Adapt the following to suit:

 

Date ***todays date***

Your ref: ***On the last letter from claimant***

In the ccBC, ***court name***

Case number ***On Court Papers***

***Claimants name*** v ***your name***

Request under cpr31.14 for further information

 

This letter as my first request made under CPR 31.14 for the disclosure and the production of a verified and legible copy of each of the following documents mentioned in your Particulars of Claim:

 

1 The agreement. You will appreciate that in an ordinary case and by reason of the provisions of CPR PD 16 para 7.3, where a claim is based upon a written agreement, a copy of the contract or documents constituting the agreement should be attached to or served with the particulars of claim and the original(s) should be available at the hearing. Further, that any general conditions incorporated in the contract should also be attached.

2 The default notice - I genuinely never received this so was not given the opportunity to remedy the alleged breach.

3 The termination notice - needed to claim the full balance. (if applicable)

4 A full breakdown as to the amount claimed including any late payment, over limit and repaid item fees.

5 Any other documents you intend to rely on in court. It is clear to me that to issue proceedings you and your client should have had ‘at hand’ all the information that was necessary to prove your case.

 

You should ensure compliance with your CPR 31 duties and ensure that the document(s) I have requested are copied to and received by me within 7 days of receiving this letter. Your CPR 31 duties extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for the originals of the documents I have requested, the better for you to be able to verify the document's authenticity and to provide me with a legible copy. Further, where I have requested a copy of a document, the original of which is now in the possession of another person, you will have a right to possession of that document if you have mentioned it in your case. You must take immediate steps to recover and preserve it for the purpose of this case.

 

Where I have mentioned a document and there is in your possession more than one version of that same document owing to a modification, obliteration or other marking or feature, each version will be a separate document and you must provide a copy of each version of it to me. Your obligations extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for any version(s) to include an obligation to recover and preserve such version(s) which are now in the possession of a third party.

 

In accordance with CPR 31.15© I undertake to be responsible for your reasonable copying costs incurred in complying with this CPR 31.14 request.

 

If you require more time in which to comply with this request you must tell me in writing. You must tell me before the time for compliance with this request has expired. In telling me you require more time you must tell me what steps you have taken and propose to take in order to comply with this request and also state a date by when you will comply with this request. In addition your statement must be accompanied with a statement that you agree to an extension of the time for me to file my defence. Your extension of time must be not less than 14 days from the date when you say you will have complied with my request and you must state the new date for filing my defence.

 

 

If you are unable to comply with this request and believe that you will never be able to comply with this request you must tell me in writing.

 

yours faithfully

Edited July 12, 2010 by freethemice

[freethemice]

It was difficult to know how to reply to this but I will attempt to do so.

 

I do not have the original allocation questionare to hand but I'm almost sure I am named as a witness. check please

 

Every attempt has been made to defend the claim but in order to do so it must surly be reaonable to receive a copy of the original CCA (as requested and as metioned in the claimants claim. This very simple request has been ignored. You do not seem to have questioned the claimants response to your cpr request - if you challenge this then you have a good case to have the originals brought to court (which may not exist)

 

What has been sent instead is a copy of an aleged agreement from 2004 which has already been confirmed on this site as not been executed and therefore unenforceable. This aleged agreement superseeds (I think thats the term) any previous agreement. not executed but I would say enforceable (depends on judge) if the claimant can produce an agreement containing the prescribed terms re section 127 consumer credit act

 

I somewhat confused the issue by posting up the 2004 agreement under a different user name however I am satisfied that this agreement from 2004 is at the very least unenfoeceable. Best to inform them of this then to seem reasonable and let them counter argue.

 

Where that leaves any agreement from 1998 I do not know but unless the other side send a copy of that with the terms and conditions as requested where does any defence start. 1998 agreement doesn't seem relavant unless you are claiming the 2004 loan was forced upon you to repay monies not legally owed I can't see the relavance. The 2004 agreement is what is witnessed so let's concentrate on that. If they have stated the wrong account number then that goes in with the defence. Which agreement would the money claimed rest on in your view? in their view?

 

As metioned before no agreement from 1998 has been sent and to which the claim is based on that agreement number. see above

 

I am not sure where you are getting the idea that my request for documents under CPR rules was responded to, they did'nt and they have'nt. They have submited a witness statement which said 'exhibited hereto marked 'ARI' a copy of the said agreement'. This sounds like a trial bundle which should have included the agreements mentioned, t & c's and anything else that supports their claim. Do you have something of this nature? It is possible that they sent this to court and not you? this is another reason you should be chasing them for info.

 

What you say about the PPI makes sense, and as such no claim has been made for mis-selling simply because until a CCA that is stated in the claim is presented then any claim is on hold.

 

Not sure I've answered all the points, but its a learing curve at the least.

 

One final point for now is (as time is running out) and if any one is any the wiser, where do I take it from here ?

I would also question heavily the assignment. If they do not want to show this they do not have to but just how are they going to prove that they now own the debt and you were made aware of the change? It would prejudice your right to a fair trial not to see the information they describe as commercially sensitive. Ask to see this again when you send the cpr31.14. Of all the issues here I get the feeling they are weakest at this point!

[Consumer dude]

If the original CCA is found to be unenforcable, and its then sold to a different company is the loan still unenforcable ?

[freethemice]

Yes but this should not be your first legal challenge. You need to know the person facing you in court is the actual owner of the debt.

The agreement in this case is not uneforceable in my opinion. It may be executed incorrectly but section 127 of the consumer credit act gives the judge discretion to enforce an agreement where the prescribed terms: credit limit, Apr and repayment arrangements are stated. I believe these are present in your argreement.

Push on the assignment and read fully the case below about assignment and abuse of process. Your arguments should be simular with no proof presented that the claimant has a cause of action.

This will also give you a feel of the arguments and submission you could face in court. If you cannot follow it after a few reads you do need legal representation in court.

 

Neutral Citation Number: [2009] EWCA Civ 543

Case No: A3/2008/2557

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE

COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)

ON APPEAL FROM CHANCERY DIVISION

LIVERPOOL DISTRICT REGISTRY

HIS HONOUR JUDGE WAKSMAN Q.C.

　

Royal Courts of Justice

Strand, London, WC2A 2LL

11/06/2009

　

B e f o r e :

LORD JUSTICE LAWS

LORD JUSTICE THOMAS

and

MR JUSTICE MANN

____________________

Between:

JASON PICKTHALL

Respondent/

Claimant

 

- and -

 

 

 

HILL DICKINSON LLP

Appellant/

First Defendant

 

 

RICHARD MARTINDALE

Appellant/

Second Defendant

 

____________________

(Transcript of the Handed Down Judgment of

WordWave International Limited

A Merrill Communications Company

165 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2DY

Tel No: 020 7404 1400, Fax No: 020 7404 1424

Official Shorthand Writers to the Court)

____________________

MR. O. TICCIATI (instructed by Messrs. Beale & Co) for the Appellants.

MR. W. FLENLEY (instructed by Messrs. Black Norman) for the Respondent.

Hearing date: 15th May 2009

____________________

HTML VERSION OF JUDGMENT

____________________

Crown Copyright ©

Mr Justice Mann :

Introduction

　

This is an appeal from a decision of HH Judge Waksman QC sitting in the Liverpool District Registry of the Chancery Division and dated 13th October 2008. It raises the question of the extent to which it is an abuse of the process for a claimant to commence proceedings without having the relevant cause of action vested in him, and whether it would be right to allow him to amend his pleadings to plead a subsequent assignment of that cause of action when that assignment took place outside the relevant limitation period.

The facts

The facts are within a narrow compass, and most relevant facts were agreed at the hearing before the judge below and before us. They are as follows.

At the beginning of 2001 Mr Pickthall had a substantial shareholding in a company called The Phone People Plc ("the company") which operated a number of retail mobile phone outlets. He agreed to sell his interest, and on 6th February 2001 entered into a written sale agreement. He instructed solicitors to act for him. Those solicitors were the first defendant ("Hill Dickinson"), and the partner acting was the second defendant. It is unnecessary to distinguish between those defendants for the purposes of this appeal. The details of the agreement do not matter either. It is sufficient to note that the consideration, which was about £2.7m in aggregate, was payable in various ways, including by way of the discharge of various loans on which Mr Pickthall was liable.

One month later, on 6th March, the company petitioned for an administration order on the grounds that it could not pay its debts, and an order was made on 15th or 19th March. Within a very short time the administrators had commenced proceedings against Mr Pickthall , attacking various assignments of warranties made by the company to Mr Pickthall , the discharge of loans and other asset transfers. Those proceedings ended with a judgment against Mr Pickthall for some £642,000 odd plus interest. According to the judgment of HH Judge Waksman, he was apparently found to have been in breach of fiduciary duty, guilty of unlawful financial assistance and to have participated in transactions at an undervalue, all as a result of the sale agreement and its associated transactions.

On 6th October 2001 Mr Pickthall was adjudicated bankrupt on his own petition. He would normally have been discharged in October 2004, but apparently the discharge was postponed because of his withdrawals from undisclosed bank accounts. His discharge came on 22nd August 2006.

In April 2006 his trustee in bankruptcy had achieved his own discharge and the Official Receiver had become the legal owner of the residual assets in the bankruptcy, if any. Mr Pickthall had apparently believed that he had had a claim in negligence against Hill Dickinson, but his trustee had not pursued it because Mr Pickthall had not told him about it. The factual basis on which the hearing below, and this appeal, proceeded is that Mr Pickthall did not know that it had vested in his trustee, and had believed that he could pursue it himself once he had been discharged. In September 2006 his solicitors renewed a previous request to Hill Dickinson for the papers, which arrived in unsorted bundles in 9 brown envelopes. Mr Pickthall had to get some money together for counsel's advice, which was difficult, but that advice was obtained in early January 2007, at which point counsel advised that it was necessary for Mr Pickthall to obtain an assignment of the cause of action from his trustee (now the Official Receiver). That was requested, but was not finalised by the time of the 6th anniversary of the sale agreement (6th February 2007). Ultimately an assignment was obtained on 20th June 2007, after the Official Receiver had been provided with information about the claim and had been able to conduct an appropriate investigation and negotiation.

The 6th anniversary date presented obvious limitation points. With that in mind, Mr Pickthall started these proceedings against the defendants by issuing a claim form on 5th February 2007. The claim form sought damages for negligence and breach of contract in relation to the sale agreement, or alternatively a declaration that the defendants owed the same damages to the Official Receiver (joined as third defendant). Mr Pickthall 's solicitors had intended to serve the claim form themselves, at some point in the ensuing 4 months (doubtless once the hoped for assignment had been obtained) but the court slightly spoiled that plan by sending the form to the defendants. However, the proceedings were then stayed of the court's own motion until 8th July 2007. Particulars of Claim were served on 20th July, making a particularised claim of negligence.

Thus Mr Pickthall came to issue proceedings against Hill Dickinson at a time at which, to his knowledge, he did not have the cause of action vested in him. He had sought an assignment, and hoped to get it, though he had no entitlement to it as a matter of law. Whether he got it would ultimately be a matter of negotiation. It is, of course, far from unknown for trustees in bankruptcy to assign causes of action back to the bankrupt, usually in exchange for a share of any returns, but it is not a matter of course that a request for assignment should be complied with.

On 20th May 2008, and by consent, Judge Waksman ordered the trial of 5 preliminary issues, which were refined down to 4 by the time he actually tried them in August. They were:

(1) As at 20th June 2007 (the date of the assignment) was the claim statute barred?

(2) If it was, should the claim be struck out as being an abuse of the process?

(3) If it should not be so struck out, is it necessary for the Claim Form to be amended to plead the fact of the assignment?

(4) If it is necessary, should the Court in its discretion allow that amendment?

In the judgment under appeal those questions were answered as follows:

　

a) Issue (1) was answered in the affirmative. That decision has not been challenged. In fact, Mr Flenley, who appeared for Mr Pickthall , accepted at the hearing before us that the limitation period expired on 6th February 2007.

b) Issue (2) was answered in the negative. Hill Dickinson had argued that it was an abuse of process to have commenced proceedings when Mr Pickthall did not have the cause of action vested in him, and placed reliance on a line of cases (to which I refer below) which were said to demonstrate the proposition that to start proceedings without any current intention of pursuing them, or without being able to formulate the claim, was an abuse, and that it was a similar abuse to start proceedings without having the relevant cause of action in the hope that an assignment would be obtained.

c) Issue (3) was answered in the affirmative – it was necessary to plead the assignment. There has been no challenge to that aspect of the decision.

d) On issue (4), the amendment should be allowed, since Hill Dickinson would suffer no prejudice if it were allowed; there was no abuse of process and the proceedings were not a nullity; it could not be said that the trustee had elected not to bring the proceedings; Mr Pickthall was not guilty of a "speculative manoeuvre" without any real intention to proceed; and it mattered not that the assignment came after the end of the limitation period. Mr Pickthall and the trustee were said to have a "close identity", and could properly be described "as two sides of the same coin".

The issues on this appeal

As observed above, there is no cross-appeal on the limitation point. Nor is there any cross-appeal on the necessity to amend to plead the amendment. That leaves the abuse and amendment point. They are closely linked. If the commencement of the proceedings was an abuse, then there should be no amendment (as Mr Flenley seemed to accept) or it would at least be a very material factor in the consideration of the amendment application. It will therefore be useful to take that point first.

Were the proceedings an abuse of the process?

In considering this point it is necessary to consider not only what was done, but why it was done. We assume for these purposes that there was a good, or at least an arguable, cause of action against Hill Dickinson. Mr Pickthall started proceedings against them at a time when he did not have a cause of action vested in him, and he actually knew that that was the case. That is prima facie an extremely odd thing to do. The explanation lies in the effect of limitation. He could apparently see the end of the limitation period looming, and did not want to lose the cause of action as a result of that. But he could not get the assignment before that time. So he sought to preserve the action from the effect of limitation by starting the case within that time, and then (as he hoped) getting in the title to sue. Mr Flenley maintained there was nothing wrong with that. There was a perfectly good cause of action against Hill Dickinson, and Mr Pickthall had every intention of pursuing it just as soon as he could get it vested in himself. Mr Ticciati, for Hill Dickinson, said that that was an abuse because by acting as he did Mr Pickthall unilaterally acquired for himself an extension of the limitation period.

Mr Flenley's first submission was that the determination of whether there was an abuse in this case was the equivalent of an exercise of judicial discretion which should only be interfered with on the same basis as the exercise of a discretion. He relied on Thomas LJ in Aldi Stores Group Ltd v WSP Group plc [2008] 1 WLR 748. That was a case in which the alleged abuse was of the kind which arises where a litigant tries to litigate matters which could and should have been litigated in earlier proceedings. At page 762 C-D Thomas LJ said:

"[The decision below] was a decision involving the assessment of a large number of factors to which there can, in such a case, only be one correct answer to whether there is or is not an abuse of process. None the less an appellate court will be reluctant to interfere with the decision of the judge where the decision rests upon balancing such a number of factors … The types of case where a judge has to balance factors are very varied and the judgments of the courts as to the tests to be applied are expressed in different terms. However, it is sufficient for the purposes of this appeal to state that an appellate court will be reluctant to interfere with the decision of the judge in the judgment he reaches on abuse of process by the balance of the factors; it will generally interfere where the judge has taken into account immaterial factors, omitted to take account of material factors, erred in principle or come to a conclusion that was impermissible or not open to him."

This was affirmed by Sir Anthony Clarke MR in Stuart v Goldberg Linde [2008] 1 WLR 823.

Those dicta describe cases of a different nature from the case before us. The nature of the abuse is different, but more importantly the nature of the exercise is different. The present case does not involve any great balancing of factors. It involves the application of principle to a relatively simple set of facts involving the circumstances in which one, and only one, set of proceedings was started. The proceedings were started at a time when the claimant had no cause of action, and knew he had no cause of action. The only countervailing feature was that he intended, if he could, to get in the cause of action. There is no reason why the constraints on an appellate court should apply to such a case. The process of judicial assessment in such a case is different in its quality from the sort of balancing and judgment that has to be deployed in the Aldi type of case. In my view this court need not, and should not, subject itself to those constraints in this case.

So I turn to consider the basis on which it is said that the proceedings in this case were an abuse. In my view the starting point is that where a man starts proceedings knowing that the cause of action is vested in someone else, then it is hard to see why those proceedings are not an abuse. He has started proceedings in which, even if he proves all the facts he wants to prove and establishes all the law he wants to establish, he will still lose because he does not have a right to sue. It is hard to see how that cannot be an abuse. Only people who own causes of action, or who have an appropriate interest in proceedings, have any business asserting the cause of action or starting proceedings. Any other use of the court's proceedings is improper. The position would be likely to be otherwise if the claimant does not know, or is uncertain, as to whether he has title to the relevant cause of action. In those circumstances, at least until it is authoritatively determined that the claimant does not own the cause of action, it may well not be appropriate to characterise the proceedings as an abuse, but that is different from the case currently under consideration.

Mr Ticciati seeks to reinforce his submission of abuse by relying on three cases which relate to other forms of abuse, and drawing a parallel with them. They are Nomura International plc v Granada Group Ltd [2008] 1 Bus LR 1, Steamship Mutual v Trollope & Colls [1986] BLR 77 and Barton Henderson Rasen v Merrett and Ernst & Young [1993] 1 Lloyds Rep 540.

In Nomura the claimant had been sued in other proceedings, but had agreed a standstill with the claimant in those proceedings. The claimant thought that if the claim against it was ultimately proceeded with then it might have its own claim over against the defendant, but since its own claimant had not particularised its claim against Nomura, Nomura could not particularise its claim against its own defendant (Granada). Nonetheless it issued a claim form to prevent the limitation period expiring, claiming damages in contract and tort for loss suffered as a result of its liability to its own claimant. Cooke J struck out the claim. He said (at para 37):

"If a claimant cannot do that which is necessary to prosecute the claim by setting out the basis of it, even in a rudimentary way, a claimant has no business to issue a claim form at all 'in the hope that something may turn up'. The effect of issuing a writ or claim form in such circumstances is, so the plaintiff/claimant hopes, to stop the limitation period running and thus deprive the defendant of a potential limitation defence. The plaintiff/claimant thus, unilaterally, by its own action, seeks to achieve for itself an extension of the time allowed by statute for the commencement of an action, even though it is in no position properly to formulate a claim against the relevant defendant. That must, in my judgment, be an abuse of process and one for which there can be no remedy save that of striking out the proceedings so as to deprive the claimant of its putative advantage. The illegitimate benefit hopefully achieved can only be nullified by this means. Whatever powers may be available to the court for other abuses, if this is an abuse, there is only one suitable sanction."

He went on to say at paragraph 40:

"40. Although defectively endorsed writs could be cured by subsequent statements of claim in the ordinary way, such cure depended upon the plaintiff having a known genuine cause of action at the time of the issue of the writ and the irregularity merely being the failure properly to set it out. As appears from the decisions discussed earlier, that principle is of no application where the plaintiff had no known basis for making the claim at the time when the writ was issued."

Note the reference to knowledge in that passage.

In Steamship Mutual the claimant issued proceedings against a fifth defendant but did not plead against it originally. When it sought to do so its claim was struck out as an abuse. When it first issued the proceedings the claimant had told the fifth defendant that it did not intend at that stage to make allegations against it. May LJ said (at pages 87-88:

"In my opinion to issue a writ against a party even in connection with a building dispute where cross-claims may subsequently be made, when it is not intended to serve a statement of claim and where one has no reasonable evidence or grounds on which to serve a statement of claim against a particular party, is an 'abuse of the process of the court' … had the structural engineers called for a statement of claim when the rate was first issued… [the claimant] would have responded either by declining to serve a statement of claim and consequently … having the proceedings struck out or… to have served a statement of claim which they knew had no foundation. When that is the dilemma … it readily becomes apparent that an improper use of the process of the court has been made."

That passage was considered by the learned judge below in this case. I shall shortly consider what he made of it. However, what he did not cite was what May LJ went on to say about limitation periods on page 88:

"Good justice needs to be swift justice, and, in my opinion, the limitation periods provided for by the Limitation Act 1980 are generous. Any artificial extension of those periods needs to be fully justified."

The third case was Barton. In that case the judge held that there was no abuse on the facts, but Mr Ticciati relied on dicta of Saville J as follows:

"To my mind, at least in the absence of very special circumstances, it could hardly be suggested that it would be a proper use of the processes of the Court to issue a writ with no intention of following it up with a statement or points of claim, in circumstances where the plaintiffs were unaware of any basis on which they could bring proceedings against the defendants. The reason for this is simply that in contentious matters the Courts and Court procedures exist for the purpose of determining claims. If a plaintiff starts an action with no present intention of pursuing it, being unaware of any basis for a claim, then on the face of it that plaintiff is not using the processes of the Court for the purposes for which they were designed.

In the present case there is no doubt that the writs were issued when they were in order to avoid a possible defence of limitation. To my mind this alone would not prevent the writ from being struck out, given there was no present intention of pursuing the matter nor any known basis for the claim. Parliament has stipulated the periods within which proceedings must be begun so that unless the proceedings are begun within the relevant period (or the plaintiff can bring himself within one of the exceptions) then it is nothing to the point that he may have wished to protect the position in case something turned up at a later stage. To allow him to do so would in effect be to extend the period beyond that thought appropriate by Parliament."

Those passages (with the exception referred to) were cited to the judge below. He held that they did not assist Hill Dickinson. His principal reason for distinguishing them was the fact (as he found) that they were really concerned with claimants who, when they issued their writs or claim forms, did not intend to proceed with the claim against the defendant in question. He made that point after each of the citations in his judgment, and seems to have thought that that was the principle to be extracted from those cases. After his citation of passages in Nomura he said:

"The underlying mischief is the bringing of proceedings without any intention to have them litigated; the fact that at some later stage a basis for the claim might turn up is not a justification. Nor is the fact that the Claimant seeks to protect his position with regard to limitation in case (a) a basis for the claim might turn up and (b) at that point the Claimant decides that there is good reason then to pursue a claim; that is not this case."

He distinguished Steamship Mutual in the same way:

"The abuse in that case was therefore concerned with the issue of a writ when there was no intention to prosecute it at all at least when it was issued and when the basis for any claim was not known … In my judgment the case before me is clearly distinguishable from Steamship Mutual. Mr Pickthall had every intention of pursuing this claim. However he needed an assignment to do so."

Mr Pickthall 's intention to pursue his claim in due course therefore, in the judge's eyes, removed the proceedings from the realms of abuse.

With all due respect I think that this reasoning misses the point. Those cases are demonstrations of one particular type of abuse. They do not completely define the nature of abuse. The point at issue in the present case is related to the abuses in those cases, but is different. Indeed it is clearer. In the cited cases it was at least apparent that if there was a cause of action then the claimant was the right person to assert it in proceedings. In the present case the claimant is the wrong person to assert the cause of action, and knows that he is. The proceedings could immediately be subject to an irresistible application to strike out, precisely for that reason. If those are the only facts, the conclusion that the proceedings are an abuse is inevitable.

Does it make any difference to that conclusion that the claimant has the intention to get in the cause of action, and indeed has a prospect of doing so? In my view it does not. He has still started someone else's cause of action in circumstances where that other person has not started it himself. His action is still technically flawed, to his knowledge. If one then goes further and asks why this very odd thing is being done, then in the present case one comes up with the limitation point – it is being done in an attempt to beat the limitation trap, because if the claimant waits until he is in a proper position to sue he will be statute-barred. In my view that makes the position worse. It contravenes the principle which emerges from the above cases that it is an abuse to do this sort of thing in order to avoid the consequences of a limitation period which Parliament has deliberately prescribed. The conclusion that the proceedings are an abuse is even clearer. Mr Flenley urged on us that the intention of getting title to sue, and the real prospects of doing so, meant that the proceedings were not speculative and thus not an abuse. If it were necessary to put a label on what was going on, "speculative" might well be an appropriate one in the circumstances, but I do not think that the label matters. The intention does not save the proceedings from being abuse, no matter what the prospects were of getting in the cause of action.

Mr Flenley sought to argue that a claimant's starting proceedings without having the cause of action in his hands at the time, but in ignorance of that fact, was not of itself an abuse; and that knowing that he did not have it did not turn it into an abuse, putting various hypothetical examples of cases which he said would give rise to anomalies were the contrary true. I am afraid I am unconvinced by his examples, and in any event they do not help him on the relatively straightforward facts of the present case. The claimant had no cause of action on 5th February 2007; he knew that; he hoped to acquire the cause of action but foresaw that if he waited he would be met by a limitation defence; so he started proceedings which he had no right to start hoping that he would get in the cause of action. I confess that seems to me to be a plain abuse of the process. If one wishes to take examples, suppose that he had had to wait a year to finalise his negotiations with the Official Receiver? Can it seriously be said that during that time the proceedings were not an abuse because he was negotiating with hope? I do not think it can. The fact that it was 4 months in the present case makes no difference.

Subject to the amendment point, the claim is therefore an abuse and ought to be struck out as such.

Amendment

　

That being the case, I think that it provides the answer to the second of the two questions before us, namely whether permission to amend to plead the cause of action ought to have been given. The purist view might well be that proceedings which are started by someone without the relevant cause of action vested in them are fundamentally technically flawed and cannot be saved by a subsequent assignment and pleading of that assignment. While amendments are to some extent retrospective in their effect, that retrospectivity does not affect the date from which the assignment vests the cause of action in the claimant, so that as at the date of commencement of proceedings he still did not have the relevant cause of action in his hands on which the court is asked to adjudicate. However, if that is the purist view, it has been overtaken by the practical one adopted by the courts which allow such a thing – see the cases gathered together and cited in Smith v Henniker-Major & Co [2002] BCC 544 at 553-4. Permission can apparently even be given where a limitation period expires after a failed assignment – see Smith v Henniker-Major on appeal at [2003] Ch 182.

However, it would in my view be wrong to grant that permission. A permitted amendment would not so much cure the abuse of process as be a reward for it. It seems to me to be wrong in principle to confer such rewards on those who act in that way. This is not a point which is dealt with in Smith v Henniker-Major at either level. That case had some elements in common with the case before us - the claimant did not have the cause of action vested in him at the date that he sued (albeit that in that case it was because of an invalid assignment) and he sought to fix the problem by taking a later assignment and then amending to plead it. However, the factual basis on which that case was proceeding did not seem to include the fact that the claimant knew that he did not have the cause of action when he started his proceedings. The debate about amendment therefore did not take place against a background of a finding of abuse of process. The case therefore does not help us, and certainly contains nothing to gainsay what I consider to be the proper approach as set out at the beginning of this paragraph.

The learned judge below in this case determined the amendment point against the background that he had not found an abuse of the process. That absence was part of his reasoning – see paragraph 67(2) where he said:

"It is true that the upshot [of the amendment] will be that Mr Pickthall can pursue a claim which he did not have at the outset. But on the other hand there was no abuse of process here and in law the claim form as issued was not a nullity."

He therefore failed to take a central point into account and it falls to us to consider the exercise of the discretion afresh. For the reasons just given I would determine it against the claimant and refuse him permission to amend to plead the assignment.

Conclusions

I would therefore allow the appeal in relation to the issues before us, with the result that the preliminary questions should be answered as follows:

(2) The claim should be struck out as an abuse of process, and

(4) The amendment to plead the assignment should not be allowed.

Thomas LJ : I agree.

Laws LJ: I also agree.

Edited July 14, 2010 by freethemice

[Consumer dude]

Have put in a claim for mis-selling of the PPI which I'm not sure will alter any state of play..

Edited July 18, 2010 by Consumer dude

[Consumer dude]

If a CCJ is issued by the court, would you be informed and if so who by and is there a time limit and what time period is there (if any) to have the CCJ set aside. Many thanks..

[Bookworm]

Yes, you'd get a copy of the judgment in the post, sent by the courts to the address at which the claim was originally posted.

 

It nornmally would be posted to you within a few days of the judgment date and would give you 28 days from date of judgment to pay up.

 

There is no set limit for set aside application, it has to be "reasonable", but how long is a piece of string? If you never got the paperwork and bailiffs turn up 6 months or a year later and that's the first you knew about it, you could apply to set aside then! Once you find out about the CCJ though, you really should the set-aside in motion as soon as you can.