Vacant possession: Capitol Park v Global Radio Services Limited – Court of Appeal – Mills & Reeve

‘The Court of Appeal has handed down an important judgment on the operation of conditional break clauses and has found in favour of the tenant.’

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Mills & Reeve, 29th July 2021

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

Court of Appeal clarifies meaning of ‘vacant possession’ in break clauses – OUT-LAW.COM

Posted July 14th, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, housing, interpretation, landlord & tenant, leases, news by tracey

‘A vacant possession obligation in a property lease break clause only required the tenant to return premises to the landlord free of people, chattels and legal interests, and was not concerned with the physical condition of the premises, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.COM, 13th July 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Interpretation of alleged inconsistencies between bespoke terms and standard forms – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted June 25th, 2021 in appeals, construction industry, contracts, interpretation, news by tracey

‘Last month, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in Septo Trading Inc v Tintrade Ltd. While the case does not change the law, it provides a helpful outline as to the approach to be taken to interpreting alleged inconsistencies between bespoke terms and the terms of standard forms within a given contract. The case will be of general interest to practitioners, in particular those whose practice incorporates construction or shipping work, where standard forms are commonplace.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 24th June 2021

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Britvic PLC v Britvic Pensions: Court of Appeal Decision Overturns High Court on Interpretation and “Corrective Construction” – Wilberforce Chambers

Posted June 14th, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, contracts, interpretation, news, pensions by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has just handed down its decision in Britvic PLC v Britvic Pensions [2021] EWCA CIV 867, overturning the first instance High Court decision. It is a major decision on interpretation (applying principles applicable to contracts and other documents, and not just pension schemes). This note focuses on the interpretation issue of general application; a second note will touch on the pensions-specific aspects.’

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Wilberforce Chambers, 11th June 2021

Source: www.wilberforce.co.uk

Case Preview: Harcus Sinclair LLP v Your Lawyers Ltd – UKSC Blog

‘In this post, Sarah Day, a senior associate with CMS, previews the decision awaited from the UK Supreme Court in the matter of Harcus Sinclair LLP v Your Lawyers Limited. This case centres around a non-compete clause contained within a non-disclosure agreement between two firms of solicitors. It is an important case in the sphere of solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance as it sees the issues of (i) the Court’s inherent jurisdiction over solicitors as officers of the Court, (ii) the interaction of that jurisdiction with the restraint of trade doctrine and (ii) the interpretation and enforcement of solicitors’ undertakings, to be considered at the highest level since 1940.’

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UKSC Blog, 25th May 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Case Comment: Burnett or Grant v International Insurance Company of Hanover Limited [2021] UKSC 12 – UKSC Blog

‘In this post, Harriet Munro and Rowena Williams, members of the insurance disputes team at CMS, discuss the decision of the UK Supreme Court in the matter Burnett or Grant v International Insurance Company of Hanover Limited [2021] UKSC 12, which concerns the application of a ‘deliberate acts’ exclusion in insurance policies.’

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UKSC Blog, 21st May 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Can you exclude or limit liability for a deliberate breach of contract? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted May 20th, 2021 in contracts, exclusion clauses, interpretation, news by tracey

‘The short answer to this question is yes. But matters become slightly more complicated when considering how this can be done.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 19th May 2021

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

After Uber: Purposive Interpretation and the Future of Contract – by Joe Atkinson and Hitesh Dhorajiwala – UK Labour Law

Posted April 1st, 2021 in contract of employment, employment, interpretation, news, Supreme Court, taxis by tracey

‘The Uber BV v Aslam [2021] UKSC 5 (“Uber (SC)”) judgment from the Supreme Court represents the final chapter in the long-running saga of determining the employment status of drivers who provided trips to passengers via the Uber app. As highlighted by Valerio De Stefano, the finding that the drivers must be classed as workers is part of a wider trend of decisions rejecting arguments that platform workers fall outside the regulatory scope of employment law. This blog considers key aspects of the Supreme Court’s reasoning, relating to the “purposive approach” and the role of contractual documentation in determining employment status, as well as some of the practical consequences of the judgment for workers.’

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UK Labour Law, 1st April 2021

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

‘Failure to remove’ claims – the decision in HXA v Surrey County Council – Local Government Lawyer

‘Paul Stagg analyses an important decision this month on “failure to remove” claims and also summarises the other case law to date, before looking at pending cases and the likely way forward to the higher courts.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Contract interpretation – who has commercial common sense? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted February 23rd, 2021 in construction industry, contracts, interpretation, news by tracey

‘The dust is slowly settling over the arguments about how contracts should be interpreted. We know that “this is not a literalist exercise focused solely on a parsing of the wording of the particular clause” and that “[t]extualism and contextualism are not conflicting paradigms in a battle for exclusive occupation of the field of contractual interpretation” (as stated by Lord Hodge in Wood v Capita Insurance Services Ltd). That means the factual background (matrix of fact) and commercial common sense still have a role to play where the plain meaning of the words is not clear (which is usually the reason why there is a dispute in the first place).’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 23rd February 2021

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

The modern family – the interpretation of children, spouses and civil partners in older trust deeds – Wilberforce Chambers

‘It has become cliché to say that modern familial arrangements are vastly different now to how they were 50 years ago, but that does not make it any less true. In 2019, almost half of all births were outside of a marriage or civil-partnership, and 3,440 children were adopted from local authority care. With the passage of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013, and the Civil Partnership (Opposite Sex Couples) Regulations 2019, the range of relationships that can be legally recognised, and the form that this recognition takes are also very different. Given the age of many settlements, traditional definitions of “children” or “spouse” can cause real difficulties.’

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Wilberforce Chambers, 17th February 2021

Source: www.wilberforce.co.uk

Forensic science rationing is putting justice at risk, says outgoing regulator – The Guardian

‘Police forces are having to ration forensic toxicology work, especially samples from suspected drug drivers, because there is not enough capacity in the system to handle the volume of work, the outgoing forensic science regulator has said.’

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The Guardian, 16th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Know your limits, show your limits: Lessons from Food Standards Agency v Bakers of Nailsea Ltd (2020) – St Philips Barristers

‘The Food Standards Agency (“FSA”) made three applications for the issue of a summons to commence proceedings against Bakers of Nailsea Ltd (“BNL”), the food business operator for an abattoir in Nailsea, near Bristol, for offences contrary to the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 (“the 2013 Regulations”).’

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St Philips Barristers, 9th February 2021

Source: st-philips.com

Court of Appeal rejects challenge to application of ‘tilted balance’ by two councils – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 11th, 2021 in interpretation, local government, news, planning, statutory duty by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has rejected a developer’s case that two councils misapplied the “tilted balance” in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court of Appeal hands down ruling on policy for development in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and presumption in favour of sustainable development – Local Government Lawyer

‘The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allows a council to reject a planning application because of an adverse impact on an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Fishbourne Developments Limited v Stephens – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘On 16 December 2020 the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the case of Fishbourne Development Limited v Stephens. The case concerned the interpretation of an option agreement to acquire a farm comprising fields and farm buildings. Arguments in the case were centred around the meaning of the phrase “any development of the Property” within the option agreement, which was contained within the definition of “Planning Permission”.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 18th January 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

New Judgment: Financial Conduct Authority v Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd and Ors [2021] UKSC 1 – UKSC Blog

‘In March 2020, the UK Government began to take a series of measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19. The present appeals considered the impact of these actions and measures on 28 clauses in the 21 lead policies written by the Appellant Insurers.’

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UKSC Blog, 15th January 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Credit where credit’s due? A ‘likely’ story – Carmelite Chambers

‘In 2017, the Sentencing Council introduced a Definitive Guideline on Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty plea, leaving Judges with little or no discretion on the credit that can be afforded for pleas entered at the Crown Court, even for indictable only offences.’

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Carmelite Chambers, 11th January 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

Covid fine review welcomed by ‘intimidated’ women – BBC News

Posted January 11th, 2021 in coronavirus, enforcement, fines, freedom of movement, interpretation, news, police by sally

‘Two women who criticised a police force for its “intimidating” approach to lockdown fines have welcomed a review.’

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BBC News, 10th January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What is the meaning of “good will”? The Court of Appeal continue the debate – Hardwicke Chambers

‘In Primus International Holding Company & Ors v Triumph Controls – UK Ltd & Anor [2020] EWCA Civ 1228, the Court of Appeal grappled with the proper interpretation of “goodwill” in a commercial contract, considering the natural meaning of “goodwill” in the commercial context and the definition prevalent in accounting practice. The case provides a useful reminder of the approach taken by the courts when construing contracts, highlighting the need for parties to spell out clearly their intended meaning of a term in their contractual agreement if they wish to depart from its ordinary and natural meaning.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 4th November 2020

Source: hardwicke.co.uk