Injunctions in English law are a legal remedy of three types. Prohibitory injunctions prevent an individual or group from beginning or continuing an action which threatens or breaches the legal rights of another. Mandatory injunctions are rarer and compel a person to carry out a certain act such as make restitution to an injured party. Freezing injunctions relate to funds such as bank accounts and are commonly Mareva Injunctions which are sought mainly in fraud, breach of trust and confiscatory proceedings. Injunctions are most common in cases involving significant matters of nuisance, privacy and libel ; they are relatively common remedies in major employment/agency/distribution, trust and property disputes, especially interim, interlocutory injunctions pending settlement or final hearing, whichever is the earlier where there is a clear and present danger that the matter in dispute between the parties will be wholly frustrated if the injunction is not imposed. A final hearing only may impose a final injunction which may be equivalent to undertakings given in a legally binding settlement document.
Prohibitory injunctions
A prohibitory injunction prevents an individual or group from beginning or continuing an action which threatens or breaches the legal rights of another. Most common types of cause of action include:
Damages must not be an "adequate" alternative, which word has been interpreted broadly in regards to particular classes of assets such as precious works of art, removal of obstructions to rights of way and restraint of trespass but narrowly in regards to many commercial contexts. An injunction should only be sought where no other form of remedy would provide an adequate solution to the claims. The substantive claim should be investigated and formulated as fully as possible before an interim injunction is sought. If the application is made without notice, the applicant and his solicitors owe particular duties to the court including that they must make a fair presentation to the court of the material facts and the law relevant to the application. Even if the application for an injunction is made on notice, the court will expect a high standard of conduct and disclosure. Undertaking in damages. An applicant will usually be required to give certain undertakings to the court, including an undertaking in damages. A solicitor must ensure that the client fully appreciates the cost implications and consequences of the undertaking in damages before seeking an injunction. The applicant must ensure any proposed injunction could be effectively enforced. If it could not be, it will not be granted.
