Woolfson v. Strathclyde Regional Council, [1978] S.C. 90 (H.L. 41-4, December 2014, Melbourne University Law Review Vol. However, the House of Lords did not elaborate on the nature of such special circumstances or the meaning of faade. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'swarb_co_uk-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',125,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-swarb_co_uk-medrectangle-3-0'); Wilberforce, Fraser of Tulleybelton, Killowen, Kinkel LL. Even Evasion can be considered as Faade only. It was maintained before this House that the conclusion of the Lord Justice-Clerk was erroneous. Reliance was placed on the decision of Atkinson J. inSmith, Stone & Knight Ltd. v. Birmingham Corporation[1939] 4 All E.R. . (H.L.) Click here to start building your own bibliography. Nos. . Dr Wallersteiner had bought a company . 57 and 59/61 St. George's Road were owned by the first-named appellant Solomon Woolfson ("Woolfson") and Nos. 17 Adams v Cape Industries plc [1990] Ch 433 at 543 which has been cited with This is an appeal against an interlocutor of the Second Division of the Court of Session affirming the decision of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland upon a question relating to compensation for the compulsory acquisition of land. In the case of Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council[vi], it involves a similar fact pattern to DHN involving a compulsory purchase of property where the occupier of the property was not the owner. court. This case is jurisdiction for the legal principle that an incorporated company is a separate legal entity from its directors and principal shareholders. lacanche range vs la cornue; strength and weaknesses of medical technologist; did roberto matta have siblings? The film was made in India. Companies use subsidiary companies rather than carrying out the activity through the parent company itself because of liability avoidance, tax, and regulatory reasons, as well as practical and geographical reasons. The veil will be lifted only where 'special circumstances exist indicating that it is a mere facade concealing the true facts': Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council (1978) Gilford Motor Co Ltd v Horne (1933) Piercing the corporate veil old metaphor, modern practice? Lord Keith upheld the decision of the Scottish Court of Appeal, refusing to follow and doubting DHN v Tower Hamlets BC. Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd and Others, [2013] UKSC 34. 9 Thompson v Renwick Group Plc [2014] EWCA Civ 635, [2015] BCC 855. Mr Solomon Woolfson owned three units and another company, Solfred Holdings Ltd owned the other two. In Scotland, the principle was applied initially, in the case of Mackintosh v. Mackintosh, but it came to an end in RHM Bakeries v. Strathclyde Regional Council. Common law countries usually uphold this principle of separate personhood, but in exceptional situations may pierce or lift the corporate veil. Held: The House declined to allow the principal shareholder of a company to recover compensation for the . The business in the shop was run by a company called Campbell Ltd. View Notes - Spring+2015+ACCT4610+Topic+3 from ACCT 4610 at HKUST. Counsel: James R. Kitsul, for the appellant; Sarah Macdonald, for the respondent. UK legal case. In so far as Woolfson would suffer any loss, that loss would be suffered by virtue of his position as principal shareholder in Campbell not by virtue of his position as owner of the land. 542. until 2015 The principles leading to a finding of agency were considered by Atkinson J in 26 E. g. Woolfson v. Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] SLT 159, in which Lord Keith of Kinkel stated that it was appropriate to lift the veil "only where the special circumstances exist indicating that [the company] is a mere facade concealing the true facts . J.) Usually, a corporation is treated as a separate legal person, which is solely responsible for the debts it incurs and the sole beneficiary of the credit it is owed. 6 dead 28 wounded kamloops; dutch braid horse tail; border patrol checkpoints to avoid; traditional water lily tattoo; highest paying government jobs in nepal; georgia deed execution requirements; character creator picrew. Therefore, English courts have shown a strong determination not to embark on any development of a group enterprise law. This has proven to be a more successful line of argument in past case law. The compulsory acquisition resulted in the extinction of the grocery business, since no suitable alternative premises could be found. The DHN case approach has become less popular since then. LORD KEITH OF KINKEL.My Lords, This is an appeal against an interlocutor of the Second Division of the Court of Session affirming the decision of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland upon a question relating to compensation for the compulsory acquisition of land. I agree with it, and for the reasons he gives would dismiss the appeal. The statement of Lady Hale in Scott v Southern Pacific Mortgages points strongly toward the loopholes in land law, whereby the lenders can avoid the law relating to overriding interests, usually unregistered, on registered dispositions. PDF Lifting, Piercing and Sidestepping the Corporate Veil Ord v Belhaven Pubs Ltd [1998 . swarb.co.uk is published by David Swarbrick of 10 Halifax Road, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, HD6 2AG. 53/55 St. George's Road. a sufficient interest in the land to found a claim to compensation for disturbance and (3) (per Goff and Shaw LL.J.) The Land Tribunal denied it on the basis that Campbell Ltd was the sole occupier. 433, Yukong Line Ltd v Rendsburg Investments Corporation of Liberia [1998] 1 WLR 294, Ord v Belhaven Pubs Ltd [1998] BCC . Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] UKHL 5 is a UK company law case concerning piercing the corporate veil. 6 Adams v Cape Industries Plc [1990] Ch 433 (CA). Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Only full case reports are accepted in court. We do not provide advice. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Food case to be clearly distinguishable on its facts from the present case. ACCEPT, Strathclyde Regional Council (as Successors to The Corporation of the City of Glasgow), to the court to 'pierce the veil'. The one situation where the veil could be lifted was whether there are special circumstances indicating that the company is a mere faade concealing the true facts. They had twenty and ten shares respectively in Solfred Ltd. Mr Woolfson and Solfred Ltd claimed compensation together for loss of business after the compulsory purchase, arguing that this situation was analogous to the case of DHN v Tower Hamlets LBC. Food Distributors Ltd. v. Tower Hamlets London Borough Council [1976] 1 W.L.R. Food case to be clearly distinguishable on its facts from the present case. They had twenty and ten shares respectively in Solfred Ltd. Mr Woolfson and Solfred Ltd claimed compensation together for loss of business after the compulsory purchase, arguing that this situation was analogous to the case of DHN v Tower Hamlets LBC.[1]. 40, which were founded on by Goff L.J. But the shop itself, though all on one floor, was composed of different units of property. In this case, the owner of the property was also the majority shareholder in the occupier and it was held that the facts of this case do not fall within the faade exception; but it provides no guidance which needs to determine. In Re Darby, ex Broughham which dates back to 1911, the veil was lifted where career-fraudsters had incorporated companies to disguise their true involvement . 53/55 were owned by the second-named appellant Solfred Holdings Ltd. (Solfred), the shares in which at all material times were held as to two-thirds by Woolfson and as to the remaining one-third by his wife. No rent was ever paid or credited in respect of No. Woolfson v Strathclyde RC [1978] UKHL 5 (15 February 1978), William Trotter and Others v Young Trotter, Epping Forest District Council v Philcox [2000] EWCA Civ 515 (08 December 2000), The Magistrates of Glasgow, and Others, V James Paton, and Others. In Woolfson v Strathclyde BC, the House of Lords held that it was a decision to be confined to its facts (the question in DHN had been whether the subsidiary of the plaintiff, the former owning the premises on which the parent carried out its business, could receive compensation for loss of business under a compulsory purchase order notwithstanding that under the rule in Salomon, it was the . R v Singh [2015] EWCA Crim 173. Subscribers are able to see a list of all the cited cases and legislation of a document. Piercing The Corporate Veil Recent Developments. Statements. and another, [1984]) . The Land Tribunal denied it on the basis that Campbell Ltd was the sole occupier. a sufficient interest in the land to found a claim to compensation for disturbance and (3) (per Goff and Shaw LL.J.) Food Distributors case (supra) is, on a proper analysis, of assistance to the appellants' argument. and Bronze under which the former had an irrevocable licence to occupy the premises for as long as it wished, and that this gave D.H.N. The case Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd [ 2] (1897) is one of the cases that illustrated of the separate legal entity principle. VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5. Woolfson holds two-thirds only of the shares in Solfred and Solfred has no interest in Campbell. Manage Settings Further, the decisions of this House in Caddies v Harold Holdsworth & Co (Wake-field) Ltd 1955 S.C. Sham companies. Woolfson holds two-thirds only of the shares in Solfred and Solfred has no interest in Campbell. However, in Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council the House of Lords rejected Lord Dennings view, doubting whether the Court of Appeal had applied the correct principle in DHN. In Woolfson v. Strathclyde Regional Council it was held that the veil could be pierced where special circumstances exist indicating that the company is a facade concealing the true facts. only where special circumstances exist indicating that it is a mere faade concealing the true facts." Woolfson v. Strathclyde Regional Council 1978 S.L.T. The courts have typically been averse to allow a shareholder to drop the corporate veil and obtain a benefit on the basis that he and the company are in effect the same (Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] UKHL 5; Tunstall v Steigmann [1962] 2 QB 593; Macaura v Northern Assurance Co Ltd [1925] AC 619 (HL); Thomas K Cheng, "The . I can see no grounds whatever, upon the facts found in the special case, for treating the company structure as a mere faade, nor do I consider that the D.H.N. Hd6 2AG common law countries usually uphold this principle of separate personhood, but exceptional! Of Atkinson J. inSmith, Stone & Knight Ltd. v. Tower Hamlets.! 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