International law firm Trowers & Hamlins has successfully represented Advanced Multi-Technology For Medical Industry ("Hitex"), a Jordanian manufacturer of medical equipment in a claim for breach of contract against Uniserve Limited ("Uniserve").
The dispute, which arose in mid-2020, centred on a contract between Uniserve and Hitex in relation to the purchase of 80 million masks. Uniserve secured a procurement contact with the Department for Health and Social Care ("DHSC") in March 2020 to purchase masks, gloves and gowns as part of the response to the Covid crisis. In April 2020, Uniserve then entered into contracts with Hitex and its agent Caramel Sales Ltd relating to the purchase of 80 million masks for the DHSC. Uniserve claimed that Hitex was in breach and stopped collections from the factory in Jordan in June 2020.
Proceedings were issued in early 2021 and came to trial in May 2024. Judgment was handed down in July 2024, with Hitex obtaining judgment for in excess of $20 million from Uniserve.
The Trowers team was led by Partners Navinder Grover and Jamie De Souza and Senior Associate Emily Sharples, with David Lewis KC (Gatehouse Chambers) and Edward Knight (XXIV Old Buildings) instructed.
Navinder commented:
"We are pleased to have helped Hitex obtain a satisfactory outcome. There were a number of challenges throughout the process, which were in part due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, so as a team we are thrilled to have overcome these and delivered a positive result for Hitex."
