The company had covenanted to pay an annual sum to charity. Since the last payment under the covenant was to be made less than three years after the execution of the deed, an intended tax advantage was not secured.
Held: The company’s appeal failed, and the court denied rectification, on the footing that the company had failed to establish to the required standard that the covenant did not give effect to its true intention. Peter Gibson LJ approved a statement as to rectification in Snells Equity: ‘What is rectified is not a mistake in the transaction itself, but a mistake in the way in which transaction has been expressed in writing’.
Judges:
Peter Gibson LJ
Citations:
[1995] STC 1151
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Oun v Ahmad ChD 19-Mar-2008
The parties agreed in writing for the sale of leasehold property to the claimant. One document had been signed, but later one said that it had not included an aportionment. Another document then set out the apportionment. When the defendant refused . .
Cited – Ashcroft v Barnsdale and Others ChD 30-Jul-2010
The parties sought to rectify a deed of family arrangement varying a will. The variation deed had had several mistakes which in fact increased the sum of Inheritance Tax owed. HMRC refused to accept the rectification deed unless approved by the . .
Cited – FSHC Group Holdings Ltd v Glas Trust Corporation Ltd CA 31-Jul-2019
Rectification – Chartbrook not followed
Opportunity for an appellate court to clarify the correct test to apply in deciding whether the written terms of a contract may be rectified because of a common mistake.
Held: The appeal failed. The judge was right to conclude that an . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Equity
Updated: 12 December 2022; Ref: scu.266514
