header-logo header-logo

26 January 2018 / Alec Samuels
Issue: 7778 / Categories: Features
printer mail-detail

The equity of exoneration

nlj_7778_samuels

Alec Samuels reflects on a war that has not yet been won

  • The equity of exoneration is a protection for the woman involved in a dispute with a creditor of her husband.
  • But in the nature of things equity can be vague, uncertain, unpredictable.

The equity of exoneration. What’s all this? It sounds like one of those obscure archaic doctrines that Lord Denning used to spring up on us in order to right one of his perceived injustices. In fact it turns out to be a protection for the woman involved in a dispute with a creditor of her husband. The battle for the emancipation and protection and liberation of women has gradually won the day over the last century or more, but as Lady Hale repeatedly reminds us, the war has not yet been finally won.

The situation

The husband owns the freehold in the house. The house serves as the matrimonial home in which the family lives. The husband raises money for his business, taking a bank loan secured by a

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
back-to-top-scroll