Media Briefing: Yorkshire agency share dispute to be live-streamed by Court of Appeal
Front Row Legal acted for Keystone Healthcare in their claims against Colin Parr.
“It’s a very important case for our clients and our firm, we are privileged that our case has been chosen to be live-streamed at the Court of Appeal and we are looking forward to it”.
A major financial dispute involving a Huddersfield employment agency is to be live-streamed over the internet by the Court of Appeal next Tuesday (July 9).
Announcing the decision to broadcast the hearing, the Civil Division of the High Court explained that certain proceedings are now:
“…live-streamed to increase open justice and improve public access and understanding of the justice system. This means that high profile and legally significant cases in the court would be made available in the way that UK Supreme Court hearings habitually are.”
Livestreaming of significant cases began in January this year.
Leeds-based business law specialist Front Row Legal acted for Keystone Healthcare in their claims against Colin Parr. Partner Robina Hussein said:
“It’s a very important case for our clients and our firm, we are privileged that our case has been chosen to be live-streamed at the Court of Appeal and we are looking forward to it”.
The appeal in question, Parr v Keystone Heathcare & Others, relates to a finding at the High Court in June 2018 that Mr Parr was liable to his pay former employer Keystone Healthcare more than £650,000. Until 2014 Mr Parr was a director and shareholder in the company, which supplies agency staff to the NHS. Co-director Richard Ward agreed to pay Mr Parr £1.2 million for his 38 per cent share in the firm.
Following his subsequent departure, Mr Parr set up a new company in direct competition with Keystone, doing so in breach of his employment contract.
A little over 18 months later, an employee of Keystone discovered an alarming discrepancy in the firm’s payroll system. A subsequent investigation uncovered a series of bogus payments made to accounts controlled by Mr Parr and IT consultant Mark Reynard. The scheme had been in operation since April 2014, via a concealed alteration to the firm’s database. The misappropriated funds ran to more than £128,000.
Keystone immediately had the accounts frozen and began legal proceedings. In February 2018 Mr Parr was ordered to repay the diverted funds. Then in June, High Court Judge Stephen Davies ruled that Colin Parr had been in breach of his duties as a director of Keystone and therefore must pay back the difference between the amount he received for his shares and the significantly discounted sum he would have received, under the applicable regulations, had the company been aware of the bogus payments. This overpayment amounted to £650.612.04, the Judge declared, plus legal costs and interest.
Mr Parr appealed this ruling, arguing that His Honour Judge Davies’ ruling had been wrong in law, highlighting in particular the fact that a holding company spun off from Keystone purchased his shares rather than the company itself.
The livestream will be available to view from 10:30 am on:
The video will remain online after the broadcast.
For comment or more information, please phone Robina Hussein on 07525 071 713. frontrowlegal.com
