Matthew Morrison successfully resisted an application to set aside an order permitting service out of the jurisdiction on Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) in proceedings before the Commercial Court which seek mandatory injunctive relief aimed at securing an end to Mr Ridley’s ongoing imprisonment in Dubai ([2020] EWHC 1213 (Comm)). Mr Ridley was imprisoned under Dubai’s Law 37 of 2009 which allows certain types of judgment creditors to apply for the imprisonment of debtors for up to twenty years. Mr Ridley claims that DIB’s ability to seek an order under Law 37 was compromised by a settlement agreement governed by English law with an exclusive jurisdiction clause in favour of England. Matthew also successfully opposed DIB’s attempts to obtain an order allowing the costs awarded to Mr Ridley to be set off against monies said to be due to DIB under an earlier Commercial Court judgment: [2020] EWHC 2088 (Comm).

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