Landlord granted injunction against tenant using Airbnb, upheld on appeal: Bermondsey Exchange Freeholders Limited v Ninos Koumetto (Trustee in Bankruptcy of Kevin Geoghehan Conway) [2018], County Court at Central London – Henderson Chambers

Posted August 9th, 2018 in injunctions, landlord & tenant, leases, news by sally

‘The rise of websites such as Airbnb has seen an increase in short term holiday style letting of traditionally long-term residential properties. In 2015 London’s housing legislation was amended specifically in response to the rise of Airbnb and other websites: a homeowner is able to let out their house, flat or spare rooms for up to three months a year. In London, unlike other cities such as Berlin or Barcelona, there are no city-wide regulations (or restrictions) regarding the use of Airbnb. This case emphasises that it falls to construction of the terms of the lease between the freeholder and leaseholder to ascertain whether a leaseholder’s use of Airbnb is permitted.’

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Henderson Chambers, 27th July 2018

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Extensions of Moratorium Periods and How it Can Be Challenged – Drystone Chambers

Posted August 9th, 2018 in freezing injunctions, news, proceeds of crime, time limits by sally

‘The NCA now have the power to extend the moratorium period on Suspected Activity Reports (SAR) by 31 days, up to a total of 186 days. This is due to the amendment of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (‘the Act’), by the Criminal Finance Act 2017. It is usually clear to an interested party when this is happening, due to delay from the banks in releasing their money. The banks cannot confirm this due to the tipping off provisions.’

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Drystone Chambers, July 2018

Source: drystone.com

Appeal judges take master to task for handing boxes of documents to non-party – Litigation Futures

‘The Court of Appeal has strongly criticised a Queen’s Bench Master who allowed six boxes of court documents to be removed from the High Court by a non-party without notifying the defendant.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th August 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

High Court hosts new mega-money Russian dispute – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 7th, 2018 in choice of forum, freezing injunctions, news, Russia by sally

‘Another high-profile foreign dispute, this time related to a stake in a Russian fishing company valued at more than a billion pounds, has opened in the High Court – though the relevance of England and Wales as a jurisdiction has again been called into question.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th August 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Perils of Unsigned Contracts of Employment and of Rushing to Court – Littleton Chambers

Posted August 7th, 2018 in contract of employment, injunctions, news, restrictive covenants by sally

‘There are numerous important lessons to be learned from the judgment in Tenon FM Limited v Cawley which was handed down orally on Wednesday 25th July 2018 by HHJ Bidder QC sitting as a Judge of the High Court but the main ones are:

1. Do not underestimate the difficulty of persuading a Court, even at the interim stage, to enforce restrictive covenants in a contract which the employee has not signed;

2. Where an employer is seeking to enforce restrictive covenants which it has introduced after the commencement of the employment, make sure its evidence in support sets out the consideration that was provided in respect of the same; and

3. Absent any real urgency, give the employee a genuine opportunity to respond to the employer’s concerns before issuing proceedings.’

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Littleton Chambers, 26th July 2018

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Children’s author faces £1m payout after ‘terrorising’ actor neighbour with ‘monstrously out of control’ garden – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 2nd, 2018 in compensation, harassment, injunctions, news, noise, nuisance by tracey

‘A children’s author faces a £1m payout after terrorising her actor neighbour with her “monstrously out of control” garden.’

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Daily Telegraph, 1st August 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

UK government launches consultation on open justice – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government is seeking to clarify the rules governing when litigation should be heard in private, in a bid to safeguard the principles of open justice.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th July 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Costs judge applies ‘wider criteria’ in proportionality dispute – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 11th, 2018 in costs, injunctions, news, proportionality by tracey

‘A costs judge has refused to pare a defendant’s costs after finding she should not have to bear the consequences of the claimant’s conduct.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th July 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Are ‘Thousands misusing abuse orders to get legal aid?’ – Transparency Project

‘Twitter commentators asked questions last week of a BBC headline:

Thousands misusing abuse orders to get legal aid, says parenting charity

And the ‘click-bait’ opening sentence of the story itself:

Families Need Fathers says parents are being encouraged by some solicitors to file for non-molestation orders – injunctions used in urgent abuse cases.’

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Transparency Project, 9th July 2018

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Gordian Knot(weed) – Nearly Legal

Posted July 6th, 2018 in damages, injunctions, news, nuisance, railways, trees by tracey

‘Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd v Williams & Anor (2018) EWCA Civ 1514. Japanese knotweed nuisance cases – there are already many of these and (given the nature of the pestilential stuff) there will be more. In case you don’t know, Japanese knotweed is an invasive weed that is all but impossible to eradicate (and must be done by licensed organisations). It grows quickly through spreading underground rhizomes and can affect structures if growing within 7 metres of their foundations. It’s presence has to be disclosed on any sale of a property.’

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Nearly Legal, 4th July 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Ep. 39: Employment/Disciplinary injunction success for psychiatrist – 1 COR

Posted July 2nd, 2018 in disciplinary procedures, injunctions, news, psychiatrists by sally

‘Richard Booth joins Emma-Louise Fenelon to discuss a successful employment injunction to prevent a gross misconduct disciplinary hearing.’

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Law Pod UK, 2nd July 2018

Source: audioboom.com

The CoA finds that a bank was contractually entitled to comply with foreign court orders – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 27th, 2018 in banking, contracts, foreign jurisdictions, freezing injunctions, news by tracey

‘The Court of Appeal (CoA) has dismissed an appeal in which the Republic of Kazakhstan (RoK) and its national bank argued that their custodian bank, Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), had acted in breach of contract by freezing their assets in accordance with foreign court orders.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 26th June 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Sir Philip Green launches legal bid to gag BHS-related report – The Guardian

Posted June 22nd, 2018 in auditors, injunctions, news, reports by tracey

‘Sir Philip Green is seeking a gagging order to prevent the full publication of a watchdog’s report that casts fresh light on the BHS scandal. On Thursday, Green launched a high court bid to stop the Financial Reporting Council publishing its damning report on the failures of the auditors responsible for checking BHS’s accounts.’

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The Guardian, 21st June 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Japanese knotweed nuisance in the light of Waistell and Smith v Line – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted June 20th, 2018 in damages, injunctions, news, nuisance, railways, trees by sally

‘Two recent County Court decisions have grappled with the issue of Japanese knotweed (JK) in the context of private nuisance claims between neighbouring landowners. The first was the judgment of Mr Recorder Grubb in Cardiff in respect of two separate actions with a common defendant: Williams v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (B20YX969) and Waistell v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (B34YJ849) (together Waistell). Still more recent was the judgment of HHJ Carr in Truro in Smith and another v Line (CTR00216) (Smith v Line), which was widely reported, albeit not entirely accurately, in the broadsheet and tabloid newspapers at the time of the hearing.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 11th May 2018

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

No joy for Joy: unlawful eviction, re-letting and damages in the Court of Appeal – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted June 18th, 2018 in damages, injunctions, landlord & tenant, married persons, news, trespass by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has provided some useful (and dare I venture to say, some not so useful) guidance on damages for unlawful eviction.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 11th June 2018

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Jerome Jones v Birmingham City Council – Arden Chambers

‘The Court of Appeal has held that proceedings for a gang injunction under Part 4, Policing and Crime Act 2009 (the “2009 Act”) and an anti-social behaviour injunction under Part 1, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (the “2014 Act”) do not involve the determination of a criminal charge and therefore do not engage Articles 6(2) or 6(3) of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”). Nor does the requirement of a fair trial under Article 6(1) require the criminal standard of proof to be applied.’

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Arden Chambers, 23rd May 2018

Source: www.ardenchambers.com

Limits on transparency in the family courts – Family Law

Posted June 12th, 2018 in disclosure, family courts, injunctions, media, news by sally

‘Family analysis: Following a judge’s decision in 2002 that a girl who was then two years old should live with her father and that the mother should not have direct access, the Family Division in Re G (A Child) [2018] EWHC 1301 (Fam), [2018] All ER (D) 148 (May) refused a recent application by the girl’s older half-brother for access to all the files in the 2002 proceedings, and also refused the mother’s application for the removal of the undertaking she had given the judge not to communicate with the media. Adam Wolanski, barrister, of 5RB, examines the issues.’

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Family Law, 11th June 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Mother denied chance to take her case to ‘court of public opinion’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 31st, 2018 in care orders, families, family courts, injunctions, media, news by sally

‘Family Division president Sir James Munby, who has long argued for allowing the ‘glare of publicity’ in to family courts, says some cases should not be debated under the public gaze, as he denied a mother the chance to take her case to the ‘court of public opinion’.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 31st May 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Court of Appeal upholds Birmingham gang injunction – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a ‘gang injunction’ restricting the actions and movement of 18 members of a Birmingham gang. One of the men affected, Jerome Jones, unsuccessfully challenged the injunction, arguing that the proceedings by which it was made properly required proof to the criminal standard, and that the application of the civil standard violated his right to a fair trial under Article 6 ECHR.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 31st May 2018

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Cambridge City Council secures injunction on punt operators using its riverside land – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 30th, 2018 in canals, injunctions, licensing, local government, news by sally

‘Cambridge City Council has secured an interim High Court injunction to ban unauthorised punt businesses from using council owned land along the middle river to access the River Cam.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 29th May 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk