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13 February 2015 / Jeremy Gordon , Jolyon Connell
Issue: 7640 / Categories: Features , Commercial
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Dust off your old files

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Practitioners may be allowed to revive cases which might previously have appeared statute barred, say Jolyon Connell & Jeremy Gordon

In the recent case of FHR European Ventures LLP and others v Cedar Capital Partners LLC [2014] UKSC 45, [2014] 4 All ER 79 the Supreme Court determined that a bribe or secret commission obtained by an agent in breach of a fiduciary duty is held on trust by the defaulting agent for his beneficiary principal. Despite a number of articles considering that judgment and some of its implications, one consequence of potentially great significance to practitioners has been somewhat overlooked: limitation. This article considers that point specifically and highlights how the Supreme Court’s decision in FHR may allow claims which were once considered to be statute barred to be advanced in a new manner.

Underlying principles

Section 21(1) of the Limitation Act 1980 provides as follows: “No period of limitation prescribed by this Act shall apply to an action by a beneficiary under a trust, being an action—(a) in

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Cripps—Radius Law

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NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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