Application was made for leave to serve proceedings out of the jurisdiction in a claim for money had and received in connection with payments made to the defendant after a receiving order.
Held: A plaintiff who has been given permission to serve out cannot resist an application challenging the jurisdiction by pleading a new cause of action. A claim for unjust enrichment, in the absence of a contractual relationship between the parties, and other than claims to land, are governed by the law of the place of enrichment.
Sir Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson V-C said (obiter): ‘As at present advised, I am of the view that quasi-contactual obligations of this kind arise from the receipt of the money. I find it difficult to see how such obligation can be said to be ‘made’ or ‘arise’ in any place other than that of receipt. As to the proper law, Dicey and Morris, the Conflict of Laws, 10th edn. (1980), p.921 expresses the view that, save in cases where the obligation to repay arises in connection with a contract or an immoveable, the proper law of the quasi-contact is the law of the country where the enrichment occurs. This accords with the American Restatement and seems to me to be sound in principle.’
Judges:
Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson V-C
Citations:
[1988] 1 WLR 484, [1988] 2 All ER 328
Citing:
Applied – Parker v Schuller CA 1901
The plaintiffs had obtained leave to serve a writ out of the jurisdiction under Order 11, r 1(e) of the RSC on the ground that the claim was for breach of a contract within the jurisdiction. The breach alleged was of a CIF contract, and the . .
Cited by:
Cited – NML Capital Ltd v Argentina SC 6-Jul-2011
The respondent had issued bonds but in 2001 had declared a moratorium on paying them. The appellant hedge fund later bought the bonds, heavily discounted. Judgment was obtained in New York, which the appellants now sought to enforce against assets . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Insolvency, Litigation Practice
Updated: 04 May 2022; Ref: scu.441564