US LAW GOVERNED AGREEMENTS
Curaçao and St. Maarten Courts will accept the choice of laws
One of the questions frequently asked is whether the Courts in Curaçao or St. Maarten, if an action is brought before them, will pay deference to a “choice of governing law” and/or venue provision in an agreement, in particular when the parties have chosen US Law, and a US Court to resolve their disputes.
The choice of the laws of (a particular State of) the United States of America as the laws governing an agreement is valid and binding under the laws of Curaçao/St. Maarten, and will therefore be …
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DE FUN FACTOR
Over plezier en vertrouwen
Geen enkele cliënt zal zijn advocaat willen betalen voor het maken van grappen. En als advocaat hoef je ook helemaal niet grappig te zijn. En als een zaak ernstig van aard is dan mag je zelfs niet grappig zijn. Maar omdat zaken doorgaans meer dan enkele uren of dagen duren, is een goede band tussen een advocaat en zijn cliënt onontbeerlijk.
Natuurlijk, een cliënt kiest een advocaat waarin hij vertrouwen heeft. Een verdwaald geval daargelaten, lijkt mij dat een open deur. Wat ook ‘open’ hoort te zijn is de communicatie tussen een advocaat en zijn cliënt. …
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IMPACT OF THE LIABILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR (I)
Liability of the 2nd degree director
Under Section 2:17 subsection 1 of the Curaçao Civil Code, the liability of a legal entity as a director of another legal entity (the direct or 1st degree director) also rests jointly and severally on each person who at the time this liability arose for the legal entity was its director (the indirect or 2nd degree director). It applies to this indirect director as it applies to the direct director that he will not be liable if he can prove that he cannot be blamed for the improper performance of duties, also considering his …
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DIRECTORS’ LIABILITY IN CURACAO
Quasi-director may be held liable too
The members of the board of managing directors are personally and severally liable towards the limited liability company (NV or BV) for any loss caused by the improper performance of duties. Each member of the board who proves that he cannot be blamed for such improper performance and that the activities concerned fall outside the scope of activities addressed to him, and that he has not been negligent in taking steps to avert the related consequences, is not liable (Section 2:14 subsection 4 Curaçao Civil Code; “CCC”). Therefore, a division of tasks among such …
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FRIS EN FRUITIG
Over het verkopen van dorstlessers en advocaten
Waarom koopt iemand frisdrank A wel, frisdrank B niet en frisdrank C af en toe? Een kwestie van smaak? Zeker. Een kwestie van prijs? Dat ook. Een kwestie van kwaliteit (en de hoeveelheid of juist het ontbreken van schadelijke ingrediënten)? Niet zelden. Een kwestie van gemoedstoestand? Zal ongetwijfeld ook een rol spelen. Het gevoel dat iemand bij een product heeft? Ook dat lijkt mij een factor van betekenis.
Bewust of onbewust verdisconteren mensen de diverse aspecten die zij van belang vinden in hun aankoopbeslissing. Die afweging kan ook door iemand anders gemaakt worden, …
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THIS BLOG IS ARCHIVED BY THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Blogs of today can be studied for years to come
I’m thrilled to learn from Robert Ambrogi’s blog that “Karel’s Legal Blog” has been archived in the Library of Congress:
On the Internet there is no rule against perpetuities. To the contrary our perpetuation seems assured. Latest case in point: the new Legal Blawgs Web Archive from the Library of Congress. Yes, just as the LOC is archiving all of our tweets, turns out it is also archiving a selection of legal blog posts, and has been doing so since March 1, 2007. (…)
The LOC describes …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 8)
New legislation
Finally, note that rather simple examples have been taken here. However, many suits are complicated with regard to their subject matter. In this connection disputes about complicated take-over issues, disputes between investors and an investment fund, disputes with a contractor or architect about a building or disputes about intellectual property come to mind. All these types of dispute require from advocates much more knowledge of and experience with litigation. It is not that each advocate must be an expert in all those areas but he should at least have experts in his team.
Only a few aspects of …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 7)
Injunctive relief
Apart from seizures it is also possible to consider an application for interim injunctive relief (voorlopige voorziening). The Judge for Interim Relief can render so-called provisional relief, for instance order a building freeze or order the counterparty to pay an advance on the compensation. Such a provision is called provisional because it is a measure in the interests of maintaining order to which the court dealing with the principal case is not bound. So it may well be the case that the provisional judgment of the Judge for Interim Relief differs fundamentally from the judgment of the court …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 6)
Proceedings in various jurisdictions
Sometimes cases which are strongly interrelated to each other are brought before different courts. For instance you instigate proceedings with the court in Curacao and your counterparty instigates proceedings at the same time against you before the court in Aruba or in Sint Maarten. If the merits of the case involve the same dispute it would hardly be efficient if litigation would take place before two different courts. In that case there would also be a risk that contradictory judgments would be delivered. The Code of Civil Procedure provides for an arrangement with regard to referral …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 5)
Duty to submit exhibits
It can of course happen that it is not a plaintiff but the defendant or a third party who has the documents by which the plaintiff can prove the existence and extent of his claim. There is a separate procedure by which such documents can be demanded. This procedure, better known as the duty to submit exhibits of Section 843a of the Code of Civil Procedure requires several conditions which must be satisfied before the court can allow that claim (exhibitieplicht).
Many other issues can play a role. I will mention a few. …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 4)
Statement of Defense
As the defending party you have to put up a defense (Statement of Defense) and in this regard this statement should not only be clear and complete but you should also know for instance what formal defenses you should advance. With regard to the latter for instance the plea of limitation of action comes to mind. In many cases the period of limitation of action (verjaring) is five years but sometimes it is a much shorter period. The short period of limitation of six months applies to the annulment of a resolution of a legal entity registered …
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LITIGATION IS A SKILLED PROFESSION (part 3)
Foreign law
It often happens that for instance the court in Curacao has jurisdiction to hear a case but the claim is governed by the law of another country. In that case the court must be informed of the contents of that foreign law by the parties. Obviously, before you institute these proceedings you must have examined whether your claim has any chance of success. And you have to consider the question of what you will do if the claim is awarded by the court in Curacao but you have to go abroad for enforcement of that judgment. Sometimes you …
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