…AND WHAT NOT TO DO IF YOU WIN THE LOTTERY
Imagine
You have won a big prize on the National Lottery. No sooner have you received the money than you discover from a good friend that his business is experiencing some financial difficulties. Key to his survival is the purchase of a particular business machine. You believe him and decide to help him out. You pay a cheque into the company’s bank account. Before the machine is purchased the company falls over and an administrator is appointed. The administrator says that the money in the company’s bank account should be available for payment of all creditors of the company whereas you think this is unfair and would like it back. You express the view that, because the money that you paid to the company was not, in fact, used for the purpose of purchasing the machine, it would only be fair for it to be returned to you.
A case, very similar to this, actually happened.
If you can work out the principles which would resolve the issue in this scenario you are quite a long way to sorting out a solution for the tenants’ deposits held by pub companies.
Our previous article, which was triggered by concern in the media over the deposits from tenants held by the Punch Group, provoked a lot of interest. Comments received ranged from, at one extreme, those in favour of maintaining the status quo (it was actually suggested by one person that the money might be safer with pub companies than the banks!) to those who consider it to be morally reprehensible that a pub company can really use tenants’ deposits as a cheap form of financing. Several points have emerged from this:
We will continue to provide commentary on this point as more news unfolds.
Please note that the authors do not act for or advise Punch and do not know anything of the affairs of Punch beyond what they have read in the press.
To read our previous article, ‘Punch and the tenants’ deposits’, please click here.
This article was written by Peter Holden with contributions fromChristopher Ainsworth and Leo Skinner. To view their biographies, please click on the names below.
Peter Holden Christopher Ainsworth Leo Skinner