Glucosamine: is it a medicine or not a medicine? Blue Bio v Secretary of State for Health – Technology Law Update

Posted June 20th, 2014 in EC law, food, medicines, news by sally

‘Medicines are tightly regulated – for good reason. But what about those products occupying the grey area around obviously medicinal products: food supplements, sports nutrition, herbal and homeopathic remedies, for example? When should these borderline products receive the same scrutiny and control?.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 20th June 2014

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

EAT: clause in contract deducting a month’s pay for failure to work notice not an unenforceable ‘penalty clause’ – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 20th, 2014 in contract of employment, news, penalties, remuneration by sally

‘A clause in a contract of employment permitting an employer to deduct one month’s pay in respect of a departing employee’s failure to work her notice period was not a “penalty clause”, and was therefore enforceable, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th June 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Selected journalists to attend secret terror trial – the end of press freedom? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘The application to have an entire trial held in secret caused a bit of a stir when news of the application was released earlier this month. The Court of Appeal has now permitted some of the hearing to be heard in public. This will probably be limited to the formalities at the start and end of the trial and parts of the Prosecution Opening.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 17th June 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Secret trials – a threat to justice? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Not since the long gone days of the Star Chamber has a case happened in secret with no reporting of the names of defendants, the charges, or the evidence. Whilst some element of secrecy is common place (see any trial with a youth or a sexual offence in the Crown Court for example) the idea that someone could be arrested, charged and potentially imprisoned without anyone beyond the immediate players knowing about it was anathema to the English lawyer.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 16th June 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Claimant wins case over personal injury damages and social care charging policy – Local Government Lawyer

‘A council’s charging policy for social care services has been found unlawful because it took account of capital derived from a claimant’s personal injury settlement.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th June 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Will Court of Appeal triple-header lead to ‘Mitchell-lite’? – Litigation Futures

Posted June 20th, 2014 in appeals, budgets, case management, civil procedure rules, costs, news by sally

‘A barrister who has led the way in analysing the impact of the Mitchell case has predicted that this week’s hearing of three “trivial breach” cases at the Court of Appeal could pave the way for “Mitchell-lite”.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 19th June 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Lord Chief Justice calls for single regulator – Legal Futures

Posted June 20th, 2014 in consumer protection, legal aid, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘In a major speech on the future of law, the Lord Chief Justice said last night that “there has to be a single regulator” for the legal professions. Lord Thomas said he could not see any “practical” alternative, and he would be “very disappointed” if there was not a much simpler and cheaper system of regulation in 10 years’ time.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 20th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court of Appeal rules against second airline on flight delays – Law society’s Gazette

Posted June 20th, 2014 in airlines, appeals, compensation, delay, limitations, news by sally

‘The aviation industry has suffered another court defeat after an appeal judge ruled claims can be made up to six years after a flight delay.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 20th June 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Female Genital Mutilation: Protection v Punishment – Family Law Week

Posted June 20th, 2014 in children, female genital mutilation, news by sally

‘In anticipation of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee’s report into FGM, Melanie Hepworth, Solicitor at Covent Garden Family Law, calls for greater awareness of the violence threatened to thousands of girls in the UK.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 18th June 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Can A Consent Order Be Set Aside In Financial Proceedings? – Family Law week

‘In the light of TF v PJ [2014] EWHC 1780 (Fam), Francis Wilkinson, barrister of Field Court Chambers, asks whether an application to set aside is permissible where there has been a change of circumstances which undermines the basis of a consent order – and suggests an answer.’

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Family Law Week, 18th June 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Rogue landlords exploit deposit protection loophole – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2014 in consumer protection, deposits, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘Legislation to rein in bad landlords and agents can leave tenants out of pocket.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Immigration inspector warns of rise in proxy marriage misuse – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2014 in fraud, immigration, marriage, news by sally

‘The chief inspector of borders has warned of increasing abuse of overseas “proxy marriages”, at which neither party is present at the ceremony, as a way to subvert British immigration rules.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

EU ruling goes against ministers on pregnant benefit claimant – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2014 in benefits, domicile, EC law, news, pregnancy, references to European Court by sally

‘A pregnant French woman, who was denied benefits in the UK because she was not considered to be “a worker”, had been entitled to the payments, the European Court of Justice has ruled. Jessy Saint Prix gave up work as a teaching assistant and was denied income support. Non-UK residents are not entitled to the benefit – unless they have acquired the status of worker in EU law. The case now returns to the Supreme Court for a final ruling.’

Full story

The Guardian, 19th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Watchdog attacks the government’s handling ‘fiasco’ of disability payouts – The Guardian

Posted June 20th, 2014 in benefits, budgets, contracting out, disabled persons, news by sally

‘The government’s handling of personal independence payments (Pips) has been “nothing short of a fiasco” that has caused distress to thousands of sick and disabled people, parliament’s public spending watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 20th June 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gleision: Mine death families call for answers – BBC News

Posted June 20th, 2014 in health & safety, homicide, inquests, miners, news by sally

‘The families of miners who drowned when 650,000 gallons of water flooded a mine want to know why the men were working near an area where water was suspected. Charles Breslin, 62, David Powell, 50, Philip Hill, 44, and Garry Jenkins, 39, died at the Gleision colliery when a controlled explosion let in the water. The mine’s manager and owners were cleared of manslaughter on Thursday.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Guilty verdict in former N-Dubz singer Dappy slap case – BBC News

Posted June 19th, 2014 in assault, costs, news, victims by sally

‘Magistrates have found the former N-Dubz singer Dappy guilty of slapping a man outside a nightclub.’

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BBC News, 19th June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Kyle Keen: Toddler death ‘could have been avoided’ – BBC News

Posted June 19th, 2014 in child abuse, children, hospitals, negligence, news, reports by sally

‘The death of a toddler could have been avoided if a West Midlands hospital had referred him to social services at an earlier date, a report has found.’

 Full story

BBC News, 19th June 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Criminal records scheme incompatible with Convention rights – Supreme Court judgment – Panopticon

‘As readers of this blog will know, the application of the Government’s criminal records scheme has been subject to extensive litigation of late (see further not least my post on an appeal involving a teacher and my post on an appeal involving a taxi-driver). Perhaps most importantly, in the case of T & Anor v Secretary of State for the Home Department, questions have been raised about whether the scheme as a whole is compatible with Convention rights and, in particular, the Article 8 right to privacy. Last year, the Court of Appeal concluded that the scheme was incompatible. In a judgment given yesterday, the majority of the Supreme Court has agreed with that conclusion (Lord Wilson dissenting).’

Full story

Panopticon, 19th June 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Victory for Spamalot – Niebel in the Upper Tribunal – Panopticon

‘The spamming industry is a decidedly irritating but sadly almost unavoidable feature of our networked world. There is no question but that spamming (i.e. the sending of unsolicited direct marketing electronic communications) constitutes an unlawful invasion of our privacy (see further regs 22-23 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) (PECR), implemented under EU Directive 2002/21/EC). The question is what can be done to stop it, particularly given that individual citizens will typically not want to waste their time litigating over the odd spam email or text?’

Full story

Panopticon, 19th June 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Care homes operator pays compensation to family of elderly resident subjected to ‘sickening’ abuse – Legal Futures

‘The owners of a care home where staff were jailed after being caught on camera physically and verbally abusing a 89-year-old woman have finally agreed a compensation settlement with her family for allowing the ‘sickening’ treatment to happen.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 19th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk