‘Colin Wells discusses the recent case of ANP [2022] EWCA Crim 1111 in which the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) considered the circumstances of when a case might be stayed as an abuse of process when important evidence has been lost or destroyed.’
25 Bedford Row, 5th December 2022
Source: www.25bedfordrow.com
‘AXX (A protected party by his litigation friend XRE) v. Zajac [2022] EWHC 2463 is the first reported case in the High Court (KBD) concerning the ‘new’ CPR Practice Direction 1A which requires the court to take all proportionate measures to address any impediment to a party’s participation in proceedings caused by their ‘vulnerability’. Master McCloud granted an application made on behalf of the Claimant (who was a protected party due to a psychotic condition which had arisen after his accident) for a trial of causation as a preliminary issue on the basis that, if successful at that stage, the Claimant could seek interim funding for treatment to address his psychiatric symptoms and allow him to participate fully in the subsequent quantum trial. The Master also refused an application from the Defendant for an ‘unless’ order (whereby the claim would be stayed unless the Claimant cooperated with examinations to be performed by the Defendant’s instructed medical experts) because of concerns about the Claimant’s capacity to consent to examination. This decision illustrates the important role that PD1A has in shaping case management decisions to protect the interests of parties with vulnerabilities.’
Exchange Chambers, 22nd December 2022
Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk
‘Keoghs recently wrote about their triple success in defeating claims for psychological injury arising out of road traffic accidents. The common denominator of the three claims was that each of the Claimants sought to rely upon the medical evidence of a specific Consultant Psychologist. Sharan Sanghera acted for the Defendant in one of those Claims, her comment on the case appears below.’
3PB, 13th December 2022
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘The issue of the recoverability of VAT in the assessment of costs is unusual, but a 20% difference in the sum to be paid as a paying party can be very significant. The issue became very contentious in this case, with the RP contending in their skeleton argument that the point raised was “bizarre and bound to fail”.’
Guildhall Chambers, 6th December 2022
Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal has handed down a significant judgment on the interpretation of settlement agreements; and specifically, whether a settlement agreement was intended to, and has the effect of, precluding or releasing claims arising from fraud, conspiracy or other intentional wrongdoing despite not expressly referring to such claims.’
Blackstone Chambers, 21st December 2022
Source: www.blackstonechambers.com
‘“No” appears to be the short answer. This is a recent decision (this month) where the High Court upheld a decision by a lay bench not to permit oral evidence of the parties at a private law final hearing. The court held that it was a legitimate exercise of the court’s case management powers. This judgment may surprise some people, and it would be interesting to see what the Court of Appeal would decide if it was further appealed.’
Becket Chambers, 21st December 2022
Source: becket-chambers.co.uk
‘When professionals are sued, it’s not unusual for them to make an assertion that their clients were “up to something”, or to complain that they had provided wilfully misleading or incomplete instructions.’
4 New Square Chambers, 7th December 2022
Source: www.4newsquare.com
‘Professional experience and the reported cases (considered below) suggest issues of breach, causation and contributory negligence are invariably intertwined. The advisor’s role is to carefully unpick the strands. Whilst there is a factual and legal overlap, the issues need to be considered separately on their individual merits.’
Exchange Chambers, 22nd December 2022
Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk
‘Two recent decisions on the application of qualified one-way-costs-shifting (“QOCS”), of the High Court in Chappell v Mrozek [2022] EWHC 3147 (KB), and of the Court of Appeal in Harrison v University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust [2022] EWCA Civ 1660, reinforce the difficulty that personal injury and clinical negligence defendants will face in obtaining enforceable costs orders other than where the claimant obtains an order for damages at trial1. Defendants will generally be unable to enforce costs orders where the claim is settled via Part 36, even if an order of the court is required to enforce the settlement, to permit the claimant to accept the offer, or to direct that the amount payable to the claimant is reduced by the amount of any deductible benefits.’
Hailsham Chambers, 3rd January 2023
Source: www.hailshamchambers.com
‘The Government published the latest quarterly and annual statistics last month. We explore what they reveal about the volume of claims and levels of compensation.’
Mills & Reeve, 4th January 2023
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
‘The debate around whether mediation can or should be made mandatory has been around for some time. In July this year, the government announced their intention to implement mandatory mediation in all contested claims under £10,000 in the county courts; one driver being only 21% of small claims opt into the present Small Claims Mediation Scheme (SCMS).’
Doughty Street Chambers, 22nd December 2022
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
‘The ever-troublesome common intention constructive trust (“CICT”) has been back before the Court of Appeal. Hudson v Hathway is a second appeal, from Kerr J. The first appeal was from HHJ Ralton in the County Court at Bristol.’
Guildhall Chambers, 22nd November 2022
Source: www.guildhallchambers.co.uk
‘Rupert Choat highlights standout developments in construction law over the last 12 months as we sought to emerge from the pandemic.’
Atkin Chambers, 16th December 2022
Source: www.atkinchambers.com
‘This briefing provides an overview of disability discrimination law and explains legal duties to consider the needs of disabled people.’
House of Commons Library, 4th January 2023
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
‘Does a party have to accept non-contractual performance to mitigate the impact of a force majeure event?’
Mills & Reeve, 4th January 2023
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
‘A patient in a secure mental health unit died after another patient injected him with heroin smuggled in as a result of staff failing to identify the risk he posed, an inquest has ruled.’
The Guardian, 4th January 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘An assistant solicitor who won his unfair dismissal claim solely on the basis of the procedure followed has failed to persuade the judge to reconsider his decision.’
Legal Futures, 5th January 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The post Law & religion in the UK courts 2022 highlights some of the most significant UK religion cases in the secular courts over the past year. Decisions of the consistory courts of the Church of England have been reported on a monthly basis and these ~150 cases were summarized in our annual review. In this post, we summarize nine cases which demonstrate different aspects of ecclesiastical law which have been of interest during the year. These include: “contested heritage“; the practical aspects of the Church’s “net zero“ commitment; a variant on the “seats vs pews” debate; a hark back to the Pre-Raphaelites; the Burial Act 1855; and cautionary tales from the courts.’
Law & Religion UK, 4th January 2023
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘The Subsidy Control Act 2022 is now, as of 4 January 2023, in force. The regime under the Act reflects the subsidy control chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement which has governed UK subsidies since Brexit. This article provides a summary of the key changes made by the Act and how the regime will operate.’
Mills & Reeve, 4th January 2023
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
‘Lawyers and human rights campaigners are calling for a public inquiry into abuse and other mistreatment at Manston, the controversial Kent processing centre for small boat arrivals, after it emerged that police were investigating allegations of assault.’
The Guardian, 4th January 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
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