The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recently issued proceedings against a franchisor and its director for allegedly engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct, in breach of section 52 of the Trade Practices Act (TPA). Various breaches of the Franchising Code of Conduct (Code) have also been alleged ...
Service charges are going to be a major bone of contention between landlords and tenants during the recession, as landlords seek to maximise returns from property, and tenants seek to count every penny. This could lead to a mountain of litigation, all of it protracted, and all of it destined to sour landlord and tenant relations for many years to come ...
This is the second of a three-part report on “public private partnerships.” Also known as “PPP” or “P3” projects, there is an increasing amount of press regarding these projects, some of which is contradictory and some of which is just plain confusing. The purpose of this three-part report is to provide you with some useful information in identifying and analyzing P3 opportunities. The first part of the primer provided an introduction to the P3 concept ...
Things change over time. This is also the case in the timesharing business. The European legislator, who is well aware of this and already dealt with this type of business by adopting a directive on 26 October 1994, has recently adopted a new legislative act dealing with timesharing, thus bringing European legislation up-to-date. It was deemed necessary to modify the former European legislation to the evolutions in the business ...
Companies (listed and unlisted) spinning off real estate at Belgian or at both Belgian and European level is common practice. In comparison to the U.S. market, the trend is only just in its early stages here. Outsourcing often conceals widely varying realities:- a company shareholder may want to divide his corporate assets among his future heirs ...
In 1996, the case of Hindcastle v Barbara Attenborough Associates settled the effect of disclaimer on a lease guarantee but since then a new leasehold regime has been introduced. A recent case, Shaw v Doleman, has revisited the effect of disclaimer in this context. Original tenants of leasehold property paid a high price in the property crash of the 1990s ...
1- What is the structure of the civil court system? The Portuguese judicial system is complex and the competence of each type of court is defined considering the nature of the dispute to be settled. The main division established is between judicial jurisdiction and administrative and tax jurisdiction. The territory is divided for judicial purposes and normally each municipality has its own judicial court with generic competence ...
1. The court system What is the structure of the civil court system? In Italy there are three levels of courts: first-instance courts (justices of the peace and tribunals); second-instance courts (courts of appeal for judgments rendered by tribunals, and tribunals for judgments rendered by justices of the peace); and the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) ...
THE FACTS Ezeflow is a company specialized in the manufacturing of pipe fittings intended for refineries, gas pipelines and offshore drilling platforms. in 1998, ezeflow entered into a contract with genoyer to manufacture 142 pipe fittings to be incorporated into drilling platforms belonging to sable. Kvaerner, in turn, was responsible for installing the fittings manufactured by ezeflow ...
Not something a landlord wants to hear. But what does it mean? Before a landlord can consider what remedial action is available against a defaulting tenant, it needs to understand the reason for the default. Where a tenant is insolvent, the precise nature of that insolvency needs to be established ...
As Congress begins to work on the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (“MAP 21”), the bill to reauthorize highway funding for the next five years, policy makers are confronting the challenge of how to bridge the estimated $400 billion gap in funding between federal revenues and transportation infrastructure investment needs ...
Mind Your Belgian Distributor! FAQ on the Belgian Law of 27 July 1961 on the Unilateral Termination of Exclusive Distribution Agreements of Indefinite Duration. Belgium is one of the very few countries in the world with a specific legal regime for the termination of certain distribution agreements, in addition to a law on agency contracts ...
The Supreme Court of Canada ended a lengthy legal saga on November 20th, 2008 when it ordered St.Lawrence Cement Inc. to compensate residents of Beauport living near its cement plant. Comments on prescription, the assessment of damages and the granting of future damages. The Supreme Court's decision was expected and will have a major impact. Indeed, this decision imposes a burden that will be almost impossible for businesses to meet ...
The contract between Liberty Mercian and Dean and Dyball was for completion of a number of retail units. The Contractor was given a series of sectional completion dates for the works with liquidated damages payable if any of these were missed. The Contractor was late completing one of the early sections, and was therefore liable for LADs in respect of this section ...
Many property agreements allow the developer to decide whether conditions attaching to planning permissions are onerous without imposing a parallel obligation to act reasonably.Despite this wide discretion, recent case law has confirmed that there is still an implied duty to act in good faith ...
Its fair to say 2008 was an extremely challenging year for UK property. Anything between 25-50% has been wiped off values from their peak in mid 2007 ...
WARNING SIGNS AND EARLY ACTIONS Works are falling behind programme. If a Contractor is struggling financially then they may not be able to buy sufficient resources to complete the job within the time limits. If a Contractor starts asking for advance payments, this is another sign that it is not in good financial health ...
The Office of Fair Trading (the “OFT”) has published the results of its market study into homebuilding in the UK. The report concludes that the sector is broadly competitive and there is little evidence of house builders holding onto land to restrict supply and so increase prices. However, the report also concludes that homebuyers can experience delays and faults and they need more protection when buying a new home ...
Given the current economic climate, it has been a busy year for all lenders, but coupled with the biggest overhaul of Consumer Credit Law since 1974, with the introduction of Consumer Credit Act 2006, the changes for this year are not over yet. On 1 December 2008 the OFT has released a new arrears and default information sheet. You can obtain a copy of the new statements the following link: http://www.oft.gov ...
Commercial disputes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are generally resolved through litigation in the courts or arbitration. Arbitration is becoming an increasingly popular way to resolve disputes. The UAE recently signed the UN Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (New York Convention). General overview and court structure The UAE is a federation of seven Emirates established in 1971 ...
On November 21st, the Supreme Court of Canada released a crucial decision on the interpretation of the “faulty or improper design” exclusion in all-risks builders’ insurance policies. By a bare (4 to 3) majority, the Court adopted a comparative standard requiring insurers to show that an impugned design failed to meet “the highest standards of the day” for the exclusion to apply ...
As the economic outlook continues to look gloomy we are noticing a considerable increase in employment litigation work - this doesn't just point towards more people being dismissed (although this is certainly a factor) but also that as money gets tighter individuals feel they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by bringing claims. For employers this is obviously a headache ...
The Minister of Law and Human Rights issued Regulation No. 03.HT.03.10 of 2007 on 8 November 2007. Under Law No ...
Attorneys and Government Policy Advisors in Dykema's Infrastructure and Project Finance Practice Area, seek to keep our clients and contacts abreast of pending legislation, new developments and other topics. Our intent is to provide you with timely, relevant, and useful information that will help you with your business goals ...
This legal update follows our September 2008 issue which gave a general overview of the major changes to the High Court and District Court Rules to come into effect on 2 April 2009. This and subsequent issues deal with those changes in more detail. This issue deals with the new "underlying objectives" and active case management by the court ...
