John and Others v Price Waterhouse (A Firm) and Another

JurisdictionEngland & Wales
Judgment Date12 July 2001
Neutral Citation[2001] EWHC 391 (Ch),[2001] EWHC 438 (Ch)
Date12 July 2001
CourtChancery Division

CHANCERY DIVISION

Before Mr Justice Ferris.

John and Others
and
Price Waterhouse (a Firm) and Another

Company - claim against auditor by company which appointed him - indemnity of auditor in successfully defending claim

Indemnity of auditor in defending claim

The claim of a director or auditor of a company to an indemnity for all costs incurred by him in successfully defending a claim brought against him by the company by which he was appointed did not accrue until judgment in the proceedings brought against him was given in his favour.

Since the right to an indemnity had not been in issue in earlier proceedings it followed that the court could only award indemnity costs in favour of that director or auditor by reason of the right to an indemnity contained in Table A, scheduled to the Companies (Tables A to F) Regulations (SI 1985 No 805), where it was satisfied that there was no possible defence to a new, unpleaded claim.

The director or auditor nevertheless remained free to bring proceedings against the company claiming the difference...

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27 cases
  • Banco San Juan Internacional, Inc. v Petroleos De Venezuela SA
    • United Kingdom
    • Queen's Bench Division (Commercial Court)
    • 1 January 2020
  • Athene Holding Ltd v Imran Siddiqui, Stephen Cernich and Caldera Holdings Ltd
    • Bermuda
    • Supreme Court (Bermuda)
    • 14 January 2019
    ...and relatively little may be required to incorporate the articles by implication: per Ferris J at para [26] of his judgment in John v Price Waterhouse [2002] 1 WLR 953]”. Globalink has been followed in Bermuda in Peiris v Daniels [2015] Bda LR 16. It appears that Hellman J. was not referre......
  • Steven Goodman v Dawn Cummings and DMS Governance Ltd
    • Cayman Islands
    • Grand Court (Cayman Islands)
    • 13 September 2018
    ...as providing guidance on this Issue: In re New British Iron Company ex p. Beckwith [1898] 1 Ch. 324, per Wright J, at 326, John v Price Waterhouse [2002] 1 WLR 953, per Ferris J, at [26]–[27], Globalink Telecommunications Limited v Wilmbury Limited [2003] 1 BCLC 145, per Stanley Burnton J......
  • Independent State of Papua New Guinea v PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd
    • Singapore
    • High Court (Singapore)
    • 12 February 2016
    ...that a company’s M&A affords no rights to third parties. The State’s reply is that this case failed to consider John v Price Waterhouse [2002] 1 WLR 953 (“John v PW”) and also reached a different conclusion from that of the Singapore court in Chaly Chee. Moulin Global concerned cross-appeal......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
1 firm's commentaries
  • Tying The Tribunal's Hands
    • United Kingdom
    • Mondaq UK
    • 17 October 2017
    ...with the company, and so if the company sues them and loses, it must indemnify them for their costs. In John v PricewaterhouseCoopers [2002] 1 WLR. 953 certain companies owned by the musical artist Elton John had brought a claim against their auditors and lost. A claim by auditors based on ......
1 books & journal articles
  • No reflective loss: The English approach reconsidered
    • South Africa
    • Juta Journal of Corporate Commercial Law & Practice No. , April 2021
    • 31 March 2021
    ...the Giles can by analogy be extended to other cases of shareholder’s action for reflective loss where the 167 John v Price Waterhouse 2001 EWHC 438 (Ch).168 Alico supra note 159.169 Giles supra note 142.170 For analysis of Giles see Bowen op cit note 84 at 2; Mitchell op cit note 86 at 468–......

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