Jackson rules High Court erred in refusing more time – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 21st, 2014 in civil justice, disclosure, interpretation, news, time limits by sally

‘Lord Justice Jackson, architect of the civil justice reforms, has overturned a High Court decision which wrongly interpreted his own changes to the system.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 19th May 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Mitchell reaches hire? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted May 13th, 2014 in appeals, civil procedure rules, disclosure, insurance, news by sally

‘Eleven years on from the House of Lords’ decision in Lagden v O’Connor [2003] UKHL 64 “impecuniosity” remains a hot topic in the world of credit hire. The Court of Appeal case of Zurich v Umerji [2014] EWCA Civ 357 handed down on 25 March 2014 is an important case on credit hire for both Claimants and Defendants. Its impact is likely to resound further in light of the Jackson reforms as clarified by Mitchell v News Group Newspapers [2013] EWCA Civ 1537.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 2nd May 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Public Engagement and Commercial Confidentiality – Oil and Water? – Hardwicke Chambers

‘CCGs may face pressure to disclose information about commissioning in at least four ways. From:

Their duties to involve the public in “planning of the commissioning arrangements by the group” (s14 Z2 National Health Service Act 2006).
Their duties to involve individual patients in “their care or treatment” (s14U National Health Service Act 2006).
Applications to provide information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Applications for disclosure, as part of litigation brought by failed tenderers following procurement exercises.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 10th April 2014

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Will Prince Charles’s musings see the light of day? – RPC Privacy Law

‘Prince Charles as heir to the British throne is an assiduous letter-writer and has sent a number of letters to ministers regarding government policy on matters such as environmental issues in which he has a strong interest rather than, it would appear, the more lower level political issues of the day.’

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RPC Privacy Law, 7th May 2014

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Tchenguiz and another v Director of the Serious Fraud Office – WLR Daily

Posted May 8th, 2014 in civil procedure rules, consent, disclosure, documents, law reports by sally

Tchenguiz and another v Director of the Serious Fraud Office: [2014] EWHC 1315 (Comm); [2014] WLR (D) 186

‘A claimant wishing to provide independent counsel with documents which had been disclosed to it in the course of civil proceedings, to obtain advice for potential criminal proceedings, needed the permission of the court to do so as such documents could not be categorised as being “for the purpose of the proceedings” in which the documents had been disclosed within CPR r 31.22.’

WLR Daily, 29th April 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Disclosure of medical records breached patient’s human rights – Strasbourg – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 1st, 2014 in disclosure, human rights, medical records, news, privacy by sally

‘The release of confidential patient details to a state medical institution in the course of her negotiations with a hospital over a lawsuit was an unjustified interference with her right to respect for private life under Article 8.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th April 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Documents remained privileged when they were sent on to third party’s work email address, High Court rules – OUT-LAW.com

‘Highly confidential documents that were subject to legal professional privilege (LPP) did not lose this status when they were emailed by a party to his girlfriend, who then forwarded them to and accessed them through her work email account, the High Court has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 28th April 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Relief from sanction and witness statements – The Barristers’ Hub

Posted April 24th, 2014 in case management, civil procedure rules, disclosure, news, sanctions, witnesses by sally

‘The Court of Appeal last week handed down judgment in the case of Chartwell Estate Agents v. Fergies Property & Anor. [2014] E. W. C. A. Civ. 506. It is an important decision for all civil practitioners, as it deals directly with the question of relief from sanction under the modified Rule 3.9 of the Civil Procedure Rules, and mollifies to some extent the (at least perceived) harshness of the rule in Mitchell v. News Group Newspapers [2014] 1 W. L. R. 795 – so much so that the Westlaw service run by respected legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell now state that the Mitchell decision has received “mixed or mildly negative judicial treatment”.’

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The Barristers’ Hub, 23rd April 2014

Source: www.barristershub.co.uk

Richard Clayton: The Curious Case of Kennedy v Charity Commission – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 26 March 2014 the Supreme Court gave a lengthy judgment in Kennedy v Charity Commission [2014] UKSC 20, running to 248 paragraphs. The Supreme Court decision is full of surprises. The Court decided to depart from the arguments of the parties- the majority insisted that common law rights rather than the Human Rights Act were the key to the case; and then embarked on an extended and wide ranging obiter discussion of public law issues, revealing further disagreements between the Justices.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 18th April 2014

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Public and private law wrongs are not the same – Court of Appeal – UK Human Rights Blog

‘ Tchenguiz v. Director of the Serious Fraud Office [2014] EWCA Civ 472, 15 April 2014. This judgment is a neat illustration of how important it is to keep the concepts of public law and private law unlawfulness separate – they do not necessarily have the same legal consequences.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 15th April 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Regina (JC and another) v Central Criminal Court (Just for Kids Law intervening) – WLR Daily

Regina (JC and another) v Central Criminal Court (Just for Kids Law intervening): [2014] EWHC 1041 (Admin);   [2014] WLR (D)  166

‘Any order made by any court under section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 prohibiting the identification of (among others) a defendant under the age of 18 years could not extend to reports of the proceedings after the subject of the order had reached the age of majority at 18.’

WLR Daily, 8th April 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Eve’s Law: addresses of domestic violence victims must be kept secret – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘In busy working environments it is easy to make mistakes but some mistakes are more costly than others. An inadvertent disclosure of a domestic violence victim’s safe address to their abuser, for instance, could cost someone their life. Now signed by 87 MPs, Early Day Motion 900 so called “Eve’s Law” is calling for the greater protection of safe addresses.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 14th April 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Chagossians update – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The appeal is against the decision of the Divisional Court in Bancoult v. FCO (read judgment and see my post here). Mr Bancoult had said that the decision to create the MPA was flawed by having an improper purpose (to stymie the Chagossians’ claims for resettlement), by inadequate consultation, and being a breach of an EU obligation to promote the economic and social development of the islands. The Court ruled against all these claims.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th April 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Kennedy (Appellant) v The Charity Commission (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Kennedy (Appellant) v The Charity Commission (Respondent) [2014] UKSC 20 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 26th March 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Kennedy v Information Commissioner and another (Secretary of State for Justice and others intervening) – WLR Daily

Kennedy v Information Commissioner and another (Secretary of State for Justice and others intervening) [2014] UKSC 20; [2014] WLR (D) 143

‘The Freedom of Information Act 2000 did not provide an exhaustive scheme in respect of the disclosure of information held by the Charity Commission relating to inquiries which they conducted. Although an absolute exemption under section 32(2) of that 2000 Act from disclosure under that Act lasted beyond the completion of such an inquiry, the question whether disclosure of information relating to such an inquiry was available would be governed by the Charities Act 1993, as substituted by the Charities Act 2006, construed in the light of common law principles.’

WLR Daily, 26th March 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

FOIA’s not all that: Kennedy v The Charity Commission [2014] UKSC 20 – Panopticon

‘The Supreme Court’s much anticipated judgments in Kennedy v The Charity Commission make for a long read. But they are very important. All the parties in Kennedy were represented by Counsel from 11KBW: Andrew Sharland for Mr Kennedy; Karen Steyn and Rachel Kamm for the Charity Commission and the Secretary of State; Ben Hooper for the ICO; and Christopher Knight for the Media Legal Defence Initiative and Campaign for Freedom of Information.’

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Panopticon, 28th March 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Supreme Court: Strasbourg’s mixed messages about Article 10 and any right to receive information – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Kennedy v. Charity Commission et al, Supreme Court, 26 March 2014. In judgments running to 90 pages, the Supreme Court dismissed this appeal by Mr Kennedy, a Times journalist, for access to documents generated by the Charity Commission under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 concerning three inquiries between 2003 and 2005 into the Mariam Appeal. This appeal was George Galloway’s response to the sanctions imposed on Iraq following the first Gulf War, and little Mariam was a leukaemia sufferer. Mr Kennedy’s suspicion, amongst others, was that charitable funds had been used by Galloway for political campaigning.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th March 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Regina v Achogbuo – WLR Daily

‘An application for permission to appeal against a conviction on grounds of previous incompetent representation by solicitors or counsel should not be made without taking proper steps to inquire whether there was a cogent objective basis for the proposed ground of appeal. It was impermissible to rely alone on the word of the defendant.’

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WLR Daily, 19th March 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Children separated from their families by courts must know why – Daily Telegraph

‘Children separated from their parents in secret family court judgments must be able to find out the reasons for the court’s decisions when they grow up, the most senior family judge has said. Sir James Munby, the President of the Family Division, said it was “great concern” that the judgments of all family court judges were not routinely transcribed and published.’

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Daily Telegraph, 18th May 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

CA says Prince Charles’ advocacy letters should be produced – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted March 17th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, freedom of information, lobbying, news, royal family by sally

‘R (o.t.a Rob Evans) v. Attorney-General, Information Commissioner Interested Party, 12 March 2014.The Court of Appeal (reversing a strong court including the former Lord Chief Justice – see my previous post) has decided that correspondence between the Prince of Wales and various government departments should be released. A Guardian journalist had made a request under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations to see these documents. The Upper Tribunal had agreed that they should be disclosed.’

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Uk Human Rights Blog, 16th March 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com