UK Supreme Court judges show little appetite for extending ‘Fairchild’ exception to other scenarios, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

‘Comments made by some of the UK’s top judges during a recent ruling appear to signal their reluctance to extend the so-called ‘Fairchild’ exception to the normal rules of causation to cover any more types of damage or injury, an expert has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 26th May 2015

Source: www.out-law.co.com

Anti-vivisection activists win right to legal challenge over how Home Office investigated the care of animals at leading research institution – The Independent

‘Anti-vivisection activists have won the right to a legal challenge over the way the Home Office investigated the care of animals at a leading research institution.’

Full story

The Independent, 17th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Retention of offenders’ DNA profiles not illegal, supreme court rules – The Guardian

Posted May 14th, 2015 in appeals, DNA, human rights, news, police, privacy, proportionality by tracey

‘Retaining DNA profiles of convicted adults indefinitely is not an illegal breach of their privacy, the supreme court has ruled in a test case involving a Northern Ireland drink driver. he judgment by the UK’s highest court sets a significant precedent in making a clear distinction between information that police forces may keep on those who have been convicted, as opposed to those who were merely suspects.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

SS (Congo) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department – WLR Daily

SS (Congo) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWCA Civ 387; [2015] WLR (D) 199

‘Where an application was made by a person for leave to enter the United Kingdom to join a spouse or family member who was a British citizen or refugee already residing there, but the application did not meet the minimum income or evidence of income requirements under the Immigration Rules for an application for leave to enter, compelling circumstances had to be shown to exist to justify the granting by the Secretary of State under her residual discretion of leave to enter outside the Immigration Rules on the grounds that refusal of entry would disproportionately interfere with the applicant’s article 8 Convention right to respect for family life.’

WLR Daily, 23rd April 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Bank Mellat’s $4bn A1P1 claim gathers pace – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 11th, 2015 in banking, damages, human rights, news, proportionality, terrorism by sally

‘Two recent judgments underscoring the potential high cost of the UK getting it wrong in its dealing with businesses and hence being liable to pay damages under the Human Rights Act for breach of its A1P1 obligations. Regular readers will know that A1P1 is the ECHR right to peaceful enjoyment of property.’
Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 9th May 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Costs Management, Proportionality and How the Courts Will Approach Costs Incurred Across the 2013 Divide – Zenith PI Blog

Posted April 21st, 2015 in budgets, case management, civil procedure rules, costs, news, proportionality by sally

‘Since the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules, the standard basis of assessment of costs in civil litigation has required costs to be proportionate to the matters in issue as well as reasonably incurred and proportionate in amount.’

Full story

Zenith PI Blog, 20th April 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Pham (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Pham (Appellant) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) [2015] UKSC 19 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 25th March 2015

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Pham v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Open Society Justice Initiative intervening) – WLR Daily

Pham v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Open Society Justice Initiative intervening) [2015] UKSC 19; [2015] WLR (D) 166

‘The question whether a person was not considered as a national by a state under the operation of its law, with the effect that he would be stateless if deprived of British citizenship, was not necessarily to be decided solely by reference to the text of the nationality legislation of the state in question, and reference might also be made to the practice of the government, even if not subject to effective challenge in the courts.’

WLR Daily, 25th March 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

The Care Act 2014: Care Planning – Doughty Street Chambers

‘This section deals with the law when local authorities are required or have
decided to meet the needs of adults who need care and support or support
(carers). As they are not yet in force the rules which are specific to selffunders and the ‘care-cost cap” have been left out. ‘

Full story (PDF)

Doughty Street Chambers, March 2015

Source: www.doughtystreet.co.uk

The Supreme Court on statelessness, EU citizenship and proportionality – UK Human Rights Blog

‘On first glance, this was not a judgment about human rights. It concerned the definition of statelessness under article 1(1) of the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and raised issues of competence and jurisdiction in relation to EU citizenship. Its specific interest for human rights lawyers lies primarily in the observations about the principle of proportionality; and in where the case, which most certainly does raise human rights issues, is likely to go next.

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 31st March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

The Care Act 2014: Eligibility Criteria, Duties and Powers in Respect of Adults in Need of Care and Support – Doughty Street Chambers

‘This section deals with the eligibility criteria and the powers and duties in respect of adults in need of ‘care and support’. The new powers and duties in relation to those who provide adults with care are dealt with separately.’

Full story (PDF)

Doughty Street Chambers, March 2015

Source: www.doughtystreet.co.uk

The Care Act 2014: The Duty to Assess Need – Doughty Street Chambers

‘This paper considers the duties to undertake assessments of care needs in the Care
Act 2014 (“the Act”), including the primary duty under section 9, the duty to assess
carers under section 10; the transition assessment duties and the out of area
transfer duties under sections 58 and 37 respectively.’

Full story (PDF)

Doughty Street Chambers, March 2015

Source: www.doughtystreet.co.uk

Regina v Doran and another – WLR Daily

Regina v Doran and another [2015] EWCA Crim 384; [2015] WLR (D) 129

‘A surveillance operation mounted by Revenue and Customs because they suspected that a consignment of cigarettes were being imported with the purpose of evading the duty payable did not result in a disconnection between the goods and the importers. Revenue and Customs were thereby monitoring the import, not controlling it, so that a judge was entitled to find that the importers were “holding” the goods within the meaning of regulation 13(1) of the Tobacco Products Regulations 2001 and, by that means, were retaining their connection with the goods at the excise duty point.’

WLR Daily, 17th March 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

All proportionality defences are equal, but some are more equal than others – Zenith Chambers

‘The Supreme Court, in the case of Akerman-Livingstone v Aster Communities Ltd [2015] UKSC 15, have provided some much needed and helpful clarification of the practicalities of raising and potentially defeating a defence based on discrimination on a summary basis. In the event, events overtook the appeal, and Mr Akerman-Livingstone’s appeal was dismissed, but had it not been for a suitable offer of accommodation and the superior landlord serving notice to quit on the Housing Association and requiring vacant possession from them, the result would have been different.’

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 12th March 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Hydrotherapy in the home – Cloisters

Posted March 17th, 2015 in birth, costs, damages, disabled persons, news, proportionality by sally

‘In the recent case of A (A Child) v University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust [2015] EWHC 366 (QB) the claimant was awarded the cost of installing a hydrotherapy pool in her home. Here we look at the circumstances in which a defendant will be ordered to pay such expensive costs.’

Full story

Cloisters, 9th March 2015

Source: www.cloisters.com

Lawyers, Social Workers and the Proportionality Test – Family Law Week

‘David Bedingfield, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, considers the President’s judgment in A (A Child) [2015] EWFC 11 and the lessons to be derived by practitioners.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 9th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Public protest, private rights – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (Catt) and R (T) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2015] UKSC 9. A majority of the Supreme Court has held that the retention by police of information on the Domestic Extremism Database about a 91 year-old activist’s presence at political protests was (1) in accordance with the law and (2) a proportionate interference with his right to a private life under Article 8(1) of the ECHR.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 6th March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Coulson J slashes “entirely unreliable” costs budget from £9.5m to £4.3m – Litigation Futures

Posted March 9th, 2015 in budgets, civil procedure rules, costs, damages, news, proportionality, solicitors by tracey

‘The High Court has slashed a claimant company’s costs budget from £9.5m to £4.3m, describing it as “entirely unreliable” and “deliberately manipulated”.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 9th March 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Speech by Mr Justice Hickinbottom: Administrative Court in Wales – Evolution or Revolution – Judiciary of England and Wales

‘The Hon Mr Justice Hickinbottom gave a speech at The First Administrative Court in Wales Lecture on “Administrative Court in Wales – Evolution or Revolution” on 20 February 2014.’

Full speech

Judiciary of England and Wales, 6th March 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

RAC: Millions in private parking fines ‘charged illegally’ – BBC News

Posted February 20th, 2015 in appeals, enforcement, fines, news, parking, precedent, proportionality by sally

‘Millions of pounds of parking fines could have been charged illegally, according to the RAC Foundation.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk