In a recent High Court case, a litigant managed to secure an extension, even though they submitted their application just three minutes before the deadline. Mrs. Justice Jefford acknowledged that the way the claimant, Lloyds Developments Ltd, handled the situation wasn’t ideal and caused some wasted time and resources. Despite this, she decided to grant the extension, taking into account the specific circumstances of the case.
Lloyds Developments Ltd had been given a deadline to pay £120,000 to the defendant, Accor HotelServices UK Ltd, by 4 pm on March 8th. However, the claimant’s lawyers only filed their extension request at 3:57 pm, just before the deadline. By 4:30 pm, the defendant had already filed an application for summary judgment. Nevertheless, the outstanding sums were eventually paid on March 15th.
Although the defendant’s lawyers argued against the extension, claiming there wasn’t a good enough reason for the delay, the claimant explained that it was due to administrative issues caused by the company recently entering administration. Despite the strong argument from the defendant’s side, Mrs. Justice Jefford decided to grant the extension. She noted that the outstanding sums were paid within seven days, and the delay didn’t significantly impact the progress of the legal proceedings.
However, the judge did caution against similar last-minute extension requests in the future, suggesting they probably wouldn’t be met with the same level of leniency. This highlights the importance of being timely and proactive in complying with court orders and procedures to avoid unnecessary complications and delays in litigation.
Source: High Court judge allows application for extension made three minutes before deadline | Law Gazette
