Judge rejects Multiplex鈥檚 attempt to bring forward trial with M&E firm Honeywell
Multiplex has lost a battle in its attempt to tie a key subcontractor at Wembley stadium to a fixed completion date.
Multiplex had accused M&E specialist Honeywell of taking advantage of an adjudication ruling that it was not bound by a contractual completion date to delay commissioning works.
A four-day trial is scheduled for February, but in a hearing this week Multiplex asked the court to bring it forward to stop Honeywell holding up the project.
Multiplex said there was concern that Honeywell was 鈥渁rtificially slowing down work鈥. The accusations were based on a witness statement from Ashley Muldoon, Multiplex鈥檚 at Wembley.
Honeywell responded that any delay was the result of 鈥渆xtraneous causes鈥 and that it 鈥渢ook exception to the suggestion that it was artificially slowing down work to exert pressure because of time at large鈥.
Mr Justice Jackson ruled that it was impossible to prove that Honeywell had slowed down progress because of the adjudicator鈥檚 decision. He rejected Multiplex鈥檚 application.
Meanwhile it has emerged that a second Wembley electrical firm, Phoenix Electrical, has been bought out in a deal that will wipe out some of its debts.
Phoenix had been hit by payment difficulties with a labour agency called Beaver Management Services (BMS). It has emerged this week that Peter Elsom, a businessman with close links to BMS, bought Phoenix this summer in a deal that is understood to have settled the claims between the two firms.
Lee Compton, Phoenix鈥檚 managing director, said: 鈥淧eter Elsom doesn鈥檛 have any formal business relationship with BMS, but has a good past relationship with it.鈥
Compton denied that the deal meant Phoenix was obliged to use the agency鈥檚 services in future.
Postscript
For more Wembley stories visit www.building.co.uk/wembley
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