High court to decide if bridge is a sport – The Guardian
‘A high court judge has been asked to decide whether bridge is a sport after it was refused recognition by Sport England.’
The Guardian, 22nd September 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Media and privacy law – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The spring of 2011 saw a rise in hysteria over privacy law. Superinjunctions were being simultaneously dismantled using the ancient protections afforded to debates in parliament, and more modern protections of anonymous postings on social media.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 21st September 2015
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
MoJ consults on costs protection in environmental litigation – Litigation Futures
‘The government has launched a consultation on steps to bring the UK into line with recent judgments of the European Court of Justice on costs protection for certain environmental challenges.’
Litigation Futures, 21st September 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
EVENT: Discrimination Law Association Annual Conference 2015
‘Book soon to secure a place at this year’s DLA conference.
2015 is the 50th anniversary of the first Race Relations Act, the 40th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act and the 20th anniversary of the first Disability Discrimination Act as well as the 20th anniversary of the Discrimination Law Association. We are using this year’s conference to remind ourselves of past struggles and celebrate the rights we have won but also to consider the task ahead to retain, develop and expand those rights.
The keynote speaker, Judge Brian Doyle, President of the Employment Tribunals of England and Wales, will address issues of employment discrimination and what the future may hold for users and equality practitioners of the Tribunals. Other speakers include Geoffrey Bindman QC, Jenny Earle, Professor Anna Lawson and Karon Monaghan QC.’
Date: 26th October 2015
Location: Baker & McKenzie, 100 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6JA
Charge: See website for details
Is equity release still a dirty word? – BBC News
‘Whether you’re considering a cruise, a new kitchen, or just giving money to the children, the thought of liberating that cash from the value of your house is enticing.’
BBC News, 19th September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The legal situation if someone has oral sex with a dead animal – The Independent
‘Sexual activity with an animal is covered in UK law by Section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Under this law a person is said to have committed an offence if they intentionally have sex with an animal.’
The Independent, 21st September 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Child sex abusers can be punished more severely when their victims are Asian, court rules – The Independent
‘A paedophile who sexually abused two children could be given a harsher sentence than usual because of the Asian community his victims were from, a judge has ruled.’
The Independent, 18th September 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Spanking images ex-teacher jailed – BBC News
‘A retired teacher who was caught with indecent images on his computer of boys being spanked has been jailed.’
BBC News, 18th September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
No one has the right to expect the State to make them better parents – UK Human Rights Blog
‘In the course of care proceedings, they had been compelled to pay about £200,000 to provide a therapeutic residential placement for a family pursuant to section 38(6) of the Children Act 1989. The case had a happy ending; the family stayed together. But the local authority wanted to make it clear for the future that this had been an improper use of section 38(6) of the Children Act 1989 and argued that the court could not compel a local authority to pay for therapy for parents under a statutory provision directed at assessments of the child.The House of Lords – as they then were – agreed. However, they went further than simply restating the purpose behind section 38(6).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th September 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Settled Gypsies could be forced back on to the road by new planning laws – The Independent
‘Gypsies and Travellers across Britain will be driven off sites they have made their home by new planning laws requiring them to prove that they are still itinerant. The move could cause a large increase in the number of unauthorised roadside camps, and force many families – including the infirm and those with children in school – on to the road against their will.’
The Independent, 19th September 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Rogue landlords should face jail terms to deter them from taking advantage of renters, say national bodies – The Independent
‘Rogue landlords should face harsher consequences, including jail terms, to deter them from taking advantage of “vulnerable” renters, national bodies have said.’
The Independent, 19th September 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Doesn’t it make you proud to be English? – Nearly Legal
‘The Immigration Bill 2015 has been published and will have a Second Reading in the House of Commons on October 13, 2015. It contains some truly remarkable provisions about housing. But first, short re-cap to remind you how we got to this stage.’
Full story
Nearly Legal, 19th September 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Can access to justice in employment disputes be restored by a new single jurisdiction? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange
‘In 2013 radical changes were introduced to the Employment Tribunal system, which, since its inception in the 1970s, had enabled employees to bring their disputes before a legally qualified Chairman free of charge. Since 2013 legal costs have been incurred automatically upon issuing proceedings. Before issuing proceedings the parties have an opportunity to reach a settlement via the ACAS early conciliation process. But there may be little incentive for an employer to engage in a conciliated settlement, where the employee is unlikely to be able to afford the tribunal fees.’
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th September 2015
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
Depressed man killed himself as a direct result of DWP’s ‘fit to work’ ruling, coroner finds – The Independent
‘A coroner has concluded for the first time that a man with severe mental illness killed himself as a direct result of being found “fit to work” by the Government’s outsourced disability assessors.’
The Independent, 20th September 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Police given advice on spotting domestic abuse patterns – BBC News
‘Police officers will receive specialist advice on how to spot patterns of domestic abuse under new guidance.’
Full story
BBC News, 21st September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Westminster child sex abuse inquiry ‘split over credibility of witness’ – The Guardian
‘Scotland Yard’s high-profile inquiry into an alleged Westminster paedophile ring is split over the veracity of the allegations under investigation and faces external criticism of its conduct.’
The Guardian, 21st September 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Injunction and damages in libel case awarded against anonymous website – UK Human Rights Blog
‘Brett Wilson LLP v Person(s) Unknown, Responsible for the Operation of the Website solicitorsfromhell.co.uk, 7 September (Warby J) [2015] EWHC 2628 (QB). This was a claim in libel by a firm of solicitors who acted for another firm which also claimed against the operators of SFHUK, causing the original site to be shut down (Law Society v Rick Kordowski [2011]). In this case the words complained of appeared on a new site, but despite efforts by the present claimants, it was not possible to find out who was operating it. The site alleged various aspects of mismanagement, including incompetence and fraud. It also quoted a client of the claimant firm who alleged overcharging and who refused to pay their fees. (It is worth noting that the site appears to have been taken down since default judgement was given in this case).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 17th September 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
The importance of privacy in ancillary relief proceedings – High Court – UK Human Rights Blog
‘DL v SL [2015] EWHC 2621 (Fam) 27 July 2015 (Mostyn J). This was a simple, if contentious, divorce case in which the judge took the opportunity to make a point about balancing the principle of open judgment – allowing media coverage of cases – against the privacy of the parties involved. Whilst he was ready to acknowledge that publicity ensures not only the probity of the judge but the veracity of the witnesses, and that such publicity served promote understanding and debate about the legal process, in some cases privacy should trump the rights of the press.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 16th September 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Court refuses bid to reconsider ruling because of missing page in bundle – Litigation Futures
‘A party that accidentally omitted an important page from its trial bundle has failed in its attempt to persuade the judge to reconsider his ruling. The claimant in Absolute Lofts as West London Ltd v Artisan Home Improvements Ltd & Anor (No2) [2015] EWHC 2632 (IPEC) made the application the day after His Honour Judge Hacon handed down his decision.’
Litigation Futures, 18th September 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
