Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Damages definition

What does Damages mean? In legal practice, damages are a money award ordered by a court to compensate a claimant (England & Wales, Northern Ireland) or pursuer (Scotland) for loss caused by breach of contract, tort/delict or a statutory wrong. The remedy is developed mainly by case law across the UK and Ireland, with some statutory modification. The aim is primarily compensatory: in tort/delict, to put the person in the position they would have been in but for the wrong; in contract, to protect the expectation interest (and sometimes the reliance interest). Heads of loss include general and special damages (common in personal injury),...

Dixons v Mastercard: Court of Appeal clarifies CAT Rule 31(4); pre‑1997 claims prima facie time‑barred; section 32 issues to be tried; domestic MIFs not a distinct cause

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Practice notes

ARCHIVED – this archived case hub sets out the position as at the judgment dated 22 May 2020; it is no longer maintained. See the timeline and related cases for further details.

Case facts Outline

Appeal from the CAT’s judgment of 14 February 2019, which refused Mastercard’s application asserting and maintaining that Dixon’s and Europcar’s Damages claims for the period 22 May 1992 to 20 June 2004 inclusive were time-barred under and pursuant to Rule 31(4) of the CAT Rules 2003 and section 2 of the Limitation Act 1980.

Latest developments

On 22 May 2020, the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment. It concluded and determined that the CAT erred in: (i) its construction of Rule 31(4) of the CAT’s 2003 Rules, such that claims concerning transactions before 20 June 1997 were Prima facie time-barred under Rule 31(4); and (ii) its treatment and consideration of the Limitation Act 1980 (in the event Rule 31(4) applied).

Parties

Appellant: Mastercard Incorporated, Mastercard International Incorporated and Mastercard Europe SA (together Mastercard): Mastercard is a USA based company providing financial transaction Processing services. It offers payment processing for credit and debit cards, electronic cash, automated teller machines, and travellers cheques. Mastercard serves customers worldwide...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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