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Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

Contact

Contact with chambers should be made through the Practice Management Team. They are happy to discuss client requirements and provide further information on such matters as the expertise and experience of individual members, fees, working practices and languages spoken. We have members able to work in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Greek and Chinese (Mandarin).

Outside working hours, a member of our team is always available to be contacted on matters of an urgent nature. Contact should be made using the Chambers main number or email.

For our Singapore office, for client enquiries please contact our BD Director, Asia Pacific, Lara Quie and for all other queries please contact Lynn Quek. Out of office hours calls will automatically be diverted to our clerking team in London.

London

20 Essex Street
London
WC2R 3AL

enquiries@twentyessex.com
t: +44 20 7842 1200

Singapore

28 Maxwell Road
#02-03 Maxwell Chambers Suites
Singapore 069120

singapore@twentyessex.com
t: +65 62257230

21/03/2013

Griffon Shipping LLC v Firodi Shipping Limited – "mv Griffon"

This is an archived article, and some links may not work. Contact us if you have any questions.

The question arising in this appeal, brought pursuant to section 69 Arbitration Act 1996, was: where buyers under a MOA on the Norwegian Saleform 1993 fail to pay the deposit by the due date, is the seller entitled to recover the amount of the deposit in debt or as damages or is the seller restricted to his loss of bargain damages. On the facts, the amount of the deposit was USD2.156m and the alleged loss of bargain was, at most, USD275,000. The LMAA Tribunal held that Sellers were restricted to their alleged loss of bargain damages. In particular, the Tribunal relied on clause 13 of the NSF 1993 form which specifically provided that the deposit was recoverable in the event that the purchase price was not paid but was silent as to the recoverability of the deposit in the event that the deposit itself was not paid as excluding any intention that the deposit should be recoverable in the latter circumstance.


Upholding the Sellers’ appeal, Teare J held that Sellers were entitled to recover the amount of the deposit by way of damages or in debt. The judge considered the principles applicable to deposits and part payments generally and concluded that the recoverability of the deposit depended on the true construction of the MOA having regard to the established principles of the substantive law of contract. On a true construction of all the terms of the contract, the right to payment of the deposit accrued unconditionally. Pursuant to clause 2 of the MOA, the deposit was intended to provide security to Sellers “for the correct fulfilment” of the MOA and it was not appropriate to infer from the absence of a reference to the deposit in clause 13 that the parties intended to exclude the right to recover the deposit otherwise provided by clause 2.


Upon Buyers’ application, permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal was granted.


Member of Chambers: Charlotte Tan for the Defendant instructed by Holman Fenwick Willan LLP

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