"I thought FLT cancelled the dividend after it went Ex, but...

"I thought FLT cancelled the dividend after it went Ex, but looking it up I can see they got in 3 days before the Ex date.
CWN had a pause in trading later in the day (at about 12:30pm) on the day CWN went Ex and then the dividend was delayed but eventually paid. So I wonder what will happen to those who sold KME ex div? Is it just tough luck?"

I always thought that once a dividend was declared and provided for as a liability in the accounts, the company had a legal obligation to pay it.

It surely can't possibly be just a case of "Oh, well... tough luck."
Because, for example, as you say, what happens to someone who sold their shares on the day it went ex-dividend? That person is owed money by the company, and a simple stroke of the pen by the KME directors can't make that go away.

As I said, I've never encountered this situation before.

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