PIERCING THE VEIL – A DODO OF A DOCTRINE?

Abstract

In the course of the 2012/13 legal year, the Supreme Court has had to consider the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil twice, in VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corpn (VTB),  and more recently in Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd (Prest). On both occasions, the Court was in effect asked to remove the whole doctrine from English Law, but narrowly failed to do so, begging the question, does the doctrine really serve any purpose now? Let me start with Prest.