Nick Kaplan successful in payment adjudications case of Bellway Homes v Surgo Construction

9th January 2024

K7010 º£½ÇÆÆ½â°æ Nick Kaplan pupil

º£½ÇÆÆ½â°æ construction barrister Nick Kaplan recently acted as sole counsel for Bellway Homes in enforcement proceedings in the case of Bellway Homes Limited -v Surgo Construction Limited, before DJ Baldwin, in which judgment was handed down by the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) in Liverpool this morning. Nick was instructed by .

The proceedings raised a question which frequently arises in payment adjudications, but which has until today remained undecided by the courts. In essence the question was: Can a single Adjudication Notice refer a claim for payment on both a smash and grab basis and a true value basis, or does that fall foul of the prohibition on referring multiple disputes?

Nick successfully argued that a reference which advances a true value claim in the alternative to a smash & grab claim can, if framed correctly, be brought within the confines of a single notice as two alternative routes to recovery of the same (or a single) remedy.

The judgement can be read in full here.

To contact Nick, please email him on [email protected]. To instruct him, or see about his availability, please contact his clerks Steve Evers on [email protected] or Joe Townsend on [email protected] or by calling either of them on 020 7583 8055.