A recent decision from the Commercial Court of the British Virgin Islands has clarified the position of a redeemed shareholder of a fund who has a claim for redemption proceeds which have become due and payable. In the matter ofWestern Union International Limited v Reserve International Liquidity Fund Ltd., the court considered the status of a redeemed shareholder both before and after the commencement of the liquidation of a fund and the operation of Section 197 of the Insolvency Act, 2003 (the “Act”). Section 197 states that:

Everyone is familiar with the story of the dashing Musketeers – Porthos, Athos, Aramis and d’Artagnan- and their inspirational motto. At the end of his adventures, one member of this famous band retired in order to marry the widow of a wealthy French lawyer, for whom the rallying cry might well have had a different significance.

Litigation is not always about money. Sometimes, it really is about the principle of the thing. Sometimes there are rights at stake which cannot be measured in financial terms. Usually, though, litigation is born of a financial loss and ultimately what matters is that the victor receives his spoils.