Blue v Ashley (Judgment): ComC 26 Jul 2017

The parties disputed the existence of an oral agreement by a businessman to pay a sum of millions of pounds in certain circumstances to a business acquaintance with whom he was then drinking in a public house.
Held: The claim failed: ‘no reasonable person present in the Horse and Groom on 24 January 2013 would have thought that the offer to pay Mr Blue pounds 15 million was serious and was intended to create a contract, and no one who was actually present in the Horse and Groom that evening – including Mr Blue – did in fact think so at the time. They all thought it was a joke. The fact that Mr Blue has since convinced himself that the offer was a serious one, and that a legally binding agreement was made, shows only that the human capacity for wishful thinking knows few bounds.’
Legatt J
[2017] EWHC 1928 (Comm)
Bailii
England and Wales
Citing:
See AlsoBlue v Ashley ComC 26-Jun-2017
A newspaper sought disclosure of witness statements and other papers lodged at the court in the course of proceedings but not yet used in court.
Held: The application was refused.
Leggatt J said: ‘When a witness statement forms part of . .
CitedGestmin SGPS Sa v Credit Suisse (UK) Ltd and Another ComC 15-Nov-2013
The claimant sought damages alleging negligence by the defendants in advice given on an investment in an initial public offering of shares.
Leggatt J considered the reliability of the memories of witnesses: ‘An obvious difficulty which affects . .

Cited by:
CitedLegg and Another v Burton and Others ChD 11-Aug-2017
Testing for Mutual Wills
The parties disputed whether wills were mutual. The claimants challenged the probate granted to a later will of their deceased mother, saying that her earlier will had been mutual and irrevocable after the death of their father.
Held: The . .

Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Updated: 27 September 2021; Ref: scu.593143