THERE IS NO END TO THE MATERIAL THAT LITIGANTS CAN PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: FIND SOMEONE TO LIE FOR ME… ALL RECORDED ON FACEBOOK
We are taking a closer look at the judgment on fundamental dishonesty. I want to hone in on the issue of the evidence provided by social media, in this case Facebook. This case is an almost textbook example of a…
APPEAL COURT UPHOLDS DECISION NOT TO ALLOW DEFENDANT TO RELY ON DOCUMENTS PRODUCED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT TRIAL: DENTON CONSIDERED AND APPLIED
We are looking at a decision newly arrived on BAILII in relation to disclosure and relief from sanctions. A defendant brought (potentially significant) documents to trial which had never been disclosed before. The trial judge did not permit the defendant…
ANOTHER BATTLE IN THE MEDICAL AGENCY/BREAKDOWN OF COSTS WAR: SHOULD THE COURT ORDER A BREAKDOWN PRIOR TO ANY ASSESSMENT?
There have been numerous cases on the issue of whether there is a requirement to provide a breakdown of the invoice when an expert report has been provided via an agency. Here we another another judgment that considers the issue. …
CAN THE COURT ORDER A PARTY TO DISCLOSE A DOCUMENT MENTIONED IN A WITNESS STATEMENT – WHEN THAT PARTY HAS NO RIGHT TO THE DOCUMENT ITSELF?
The rules state that a party can seek disclosure of a document mentioned (among other things) in a witness statement. This is the provision considered by the court in this case. The difficulty here was that the witness in question…
THE RULES AND GUIDANCE RELATING TO NON-PARTY DISCLOSURE CONSIDERED AND APPLIED: “THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE”
We are returning to the issue of non-party disclosure, indeed to the same case as the previous post. That post highlighted the Master’s concerns about the way in which claimant’s application had been conducted. The same judgment also contains a…
HOW NOT TO MAKE AN APPLICATION FOR NON-PARTY DISCLOSURE – AN OBJECT LESSON: “THE APPLICATION WAS… FATALLY FLAWED FROM THE OUTSET AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MADE”
Today we are looking at a case that everyone involved in making an application for non-party disclosure should read. The Master was highly critical of the applicant’s conduct of the application and the evidence in support. It proved to be…
LITIGATION, INSOLVENT SOLICITORS, FUNDERS, NEGLIGENCE, INSURERS – AND THE SCOPE OF DISCLOSURE UNDER PD57AD: A LOT OF OF LITIGATION LIFE IS CONSIDERED IN THIS COURT OF APPEAL DECISION
For the second time today we are looking at a case involving the fallout following solicitors being involved in litigation and the funding thereof. It also involves companies in administration and allegations of cases being mishandled. The sums involved are…
APPLICATION FOR PRE-ACTION DISCLOSURE AGAINST A GOLF CLUB GETS A FAIRWAY: THERE MAY BE NO NEED TO TEE OFF: THIS COULD WELL AVOID PROCEEDINGS
In Dennis & Ors v Queenwood Golf Club Ltd [2024] EWHC 3191 (Ch) Mr Justice Miles granted pre-action disclosure of some of the documents sought by the claimants. What is noticeable in the judgment in the judge’s view that early…
BOTH THE GENERAL DENTAL COUNCIL AND STOCKPORT BOROUGH COUNCIL IN CONTEMPT OF COURT: THE UNLAWFUL DISCLOSURE OF DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED
In General Dental Council v KK & Anor [2024] EWHC 3053 (Fam) Mrs Justice Knowles considered a case where documents in the family court had been unlawfully disclosed to the General Dental Council. The judge commented that there had been…
FAILURE TO SERVE A NOTICE OF NON-ADMISSION UNDER CPR 32.19: WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES?
There is much for practitioners to read in the judgment of HHJ Paul Matthews in Taylor v Savik & Anor [2024] EWCC 7. However I want to isolate out the judge’s observations on CPR r.32.19. In particular the question of…
CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE, EVIDENCE AND DISCLOSURE: WHEN THE JUDGE FINDS THAT THE MEDICAL NOTES ARE NOT ACCURATE: “A CONTRIVED AND FALSE PIECE OF EVIDENCE”
In Biggadike v El Farra & Anor [2024] EWHC 1688 (KB) HHJ Carmel Wall (sitting as a High Court Judge) found that annotations made to medical records were not, in fact, contemporaneous. She rejected the second defendant’s evidence based on…
CLAIMANT REFUSED RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS IN SERVING NOTICE OF NON-ADMISSION OF AUTHENTICITY OF DOCUMENTS: THE APPLICATION WAS LATE, AND THE ARGUMENT WAS HOPELESS
In Invest Bank PSC v El-Husseini & Ors [2024] EWHC 1804 (Comm) Mr Justice Calver refused the claimant bank’s application for relief from sanctions when it served a notice of a notice to prove the authenticity of a document. The…
“GOOGLESPOOFING” AND THIRD PARTY DISCLOSURE: DEFENDANT FAILS TO PERSUADE THE COURT THAT RECORDINGS ARE NECESSARY
In Parker v Skyfire Insurance Company Ltd [2024] EWHC 1060 (KB) Mrs Justice Dias dismissed a defendant’s appeal against a refusal to give disclosure of documents of a third party car hire company. The documents were not necessary to dispose…
IS A PARTY ENTITLED TO SEE THEIR OPPONENT’S CORRESPONDENCE WITH AN EXPERT LEADING UP TO THE JOINT MEETING? AN ISSUE THAT IS IMPORTANT – BUT UNDECIDED
In Frasers Group plc v Saxo Bank AS & Anor [2024] EWHC 188 (Comm) HHJ Pelling KC considered issues relating to whether a party’s correspondence with their expert leading up to the joint meeting of experts should be disclosed. The…
DEFENDANT FAILS TO GIVE FULL DISCLOSURE: PEREMPTORY ORDER MADE AND BREACHED: APPLICATION FOR RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS FAILED: APPEAL UNSUCCESSFUL
In Winchester Park Ltd v 1 Palace Gate Freehold Ltd [2024] EWHC 661 (Ch) Mr Justice Adam Johnson dismissed a defendant’s appeal on the issue of relief from sanctions. He held that the judge below was entitled to refuse to…
COURT ORDERS DISCLOSURE AGAINST HEALTHCARE SAFETY INVESTIGATION BOARD
In Turner & Anor Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Anor [2023] EWHC 3452 (KB) Master Brown allowed an application by the claimant for disclosure of statements made to the Healthcare Investigation Board. “A trial judge faced with deciding…
THIS WAS NOT AN APPROPRIATE CASE TO ADD A PENAL NOTICE TO AN ORDER: COURT WILL DETERMINE THE SUBSTANTIVE DISPUTE INSTEAD
In Wintermute Trading Ltd v Terraform Labs Pte Ltd [2024] EWHC 141 (KB) Mr Justice Lavender considered whether it was appropriate, on the facts of this case, to add a penal notice to an order for disclosure. He held that…
A CLAIMANT, ALLEGING FRAUD, IS NOT ENTITLED TO DELIBERATELY BREACH A COURT ORDER AND THE RULES OF COURT: HIGH COURT JUDGMENT GIVES LITIGATORS MUCH TO THINK ABOUT
Those who draft pleadings, particularly those alleging fraud and misconduct, have much to learn from the judgment of Mr Justice Johnson in AXA Insurance UK PLC v Kryeziu & Ors [2023] EWHC 3233 (KB). The fact that a party is…
COST BITES 118: LOOKING AT DETAILED ASSESSMENT (5): RECORDINGS MADE BY SOLICITORS NEED NOT BE DISCLOSED ON SOLICITOR & OWN CLIENT ASSESSMENT
We are returning to the issue of detailed assessments, albeit solicitor and own client assessments. In Turner v Coupland Cavendish Ltd [2023] EWHC 2721 (SCCO) Costs Judge Rowley dismissed an application for disclosure of recordings of telephone conversations between the…
CLAIMANT HAD NOT BREACHED THEIR DUTY OF DISCLOSURE: A PARTY DOES NOT HAVE “CONTROL” OF THEIR PARTNER’S FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
The judgment of Mr Justice Julian Knowles in Morgan-Rowe v Woodgate [2023] EWHC 2375 (KB) makes some important points about the duty of disclosure. A party giving disclosure doesn’t have to disclose details of their spouses’/partners accounts. “A married couple…
REDACTION OF DOCUMENTS SHOULD NOT BE ROUTINE: ADMINISTRATIVE COURT DECISION
In FMA & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 1579 (Admin) Mr Justice Swift made the point the redaction of documents in judicial review proceedings should not be routine. THE CASE The judge was…
PROVING THINGS 230: WATCH THE METADATA: IF THERE ARE DIFFERENT DATES THEN THIS REQUIRES AN EXPLANATION
In Adams & Ors v FS Capital Ltd & Ors [2023] EWHC 1649 (Ch) Mr Justice Edwin Johnson commented on the difficulties caused by the defendants’ failure to establish why the metadata for documents was different to the dates shown…
PROVING THINGS 228: INADEQUATE DISCLOSURE AND WITNESS STATEMENTS “IN ALMOST IDENTICAL FORMAT” FAIL TO BRING HOME THE DOUGH
The judgment of Lionel Persey KC (sitting as a Judge of the High Court) in Finsbury Food Group Plc v Axis Corporate Capital UK Ltd [2023] EWHC 1559 (Comm) shows some significant issues in relation to the evidence presented in…
COST BITES 88: JUDGE REFUSES DEFENDANT’S APPLICATION FOR NON-PARTY DISCLOSURE AGAINST AN AGENCY SEEKING A BREAKDOWN OF FEES
I am grateful to Ryan O’Mara of Scott Rees & Co for sending me a copy of the judgment of District Judge Jenkinson in Sephton -v- Anchor Hanover Group (County Court at Liverpool, 20th April 2023 – a copy of which…
COST BITES 85: JUDGE HAD THE POWER TO MAKE COSTS ORDER WHICH INCLUDED COSTS OF APPLICATIONS AGAINST NON-PARTY
In McCarthy v Jones & Anor [2023] EWCA Civ 589 the Court of Appeal refused an appeal against a decision that an unsuccessful party pay the costs involved in applications against a non-party. The trial judge had a discretion to…
PROVING THINGS 245: DEFENDANTS FLOORED: THEY FAILED TO ESTABLISH THAT DISCLOSURE GIVEN INADVERTENTLY “ON THIS QUESTION, THE EVIDENCE BEFORE ME FROM THE DEFENDANTS IS LIMITED AND UNSATISFACTORY”
In Flowcrete UK Ltd & Ors v Vebro Polymers UK Ltd & Ors [2023] EWHC 22 (Comm) Mr Nigel Cooper KC (sitting as a High Court Judge) refused the defendants’ application to prevent the claimant from using certain documents that…
RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS REFUSED: TRIAL BUNDLES, LATE WITNESS STATEMENTS AND LATE DISCLOSURE: CASES NEED TO BE PREPARED PROPERLY
I am grateful to my colleague Eleanor Temple for sending me a copy of the decision of HHJ-Davis-White KC in the case of Ball -v- Ball (11th October 2022), a copy of the judgment is available here Ball v Ball…
PRACTICE NOTE ON DISCLOSURE IN THE INSOLVENCY AND COMPANIES LIST – PART 8 CLAIMS
Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Briggs issued a Practice Note on Disclosure in the Insolvency and Companies List on the 6th October 2022. It deals with issues relating to disclosure and Part 8 claims. Part 8 claims are not…
THE COURT WILL NOT READILY RE-OPEN THE AMBIT OF ELECTRONIC DISCLOSURE: DECISION OF THE COMPETITION TRIBUNAL
I am grateful to Aidan Robertson KC for sending me a copy of the decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Mr Justice Marcus Smith, in Sportradar AG -v- Football Dataco Limited [2022] CAT 37 a copy of which can be…
FAILURES ON DISCLOSURE LEAD TO TWO YEAR ADJOURNMENT OF TRIAL DATE (AND INDEMNITY COSTS)
We looked earlier at the decision in Cabo Concepts Ltd v MGA Entertainment (UK) Ltd & Anor [2022] EWHC 2024 (Pat) Mrs Justice Joanna Smith, on the issue of costs. That costs decision arose because of major failings by the…
COURT REFUSES TO GRANT RESTRICTIONS ON CLAIMANT’S ACCESS TO FORMER SOLICITOR’S FILE: NOT A CASE OF LIEN ON ME
In Ellis v John Hodge Solicitors (a firm) [2022] EWHC 2284 (Comm) His Honour Judge Pearce refused to place any restrictions on the disclosure of a litigation file to the claimant. The claimant was bringing an action alleging professional negligence…
“MISSING” WHATSAPP POSTS AND A PHONE LOST AT SEA: WHAT INFERENCES WOULD THE COURT DRAW?
The facts in Vardy v Rooney [2022] EWHC 2017 (QB) are well known and have received wide publicity. Here we look solely at the evidential issues relating to the “missing” evidence. In particular the amount of WhatsApp material that went…
MAKING AN APPLICATION FOR PRE-ACTION DISCLOSURE, AFTER THE ACTION IS STARTED: THE CLAIMANTS HAVE FIVE PROBLEMS
The judgment of Senior Master Fontaine in Hart & Ors v Royal Borough of Kensington And Chelsea & Ors [2022] EWHC 1090 (QB) highlights the need for applications for disclosure to be made with some considerable focus. The court cannot…
INFERENCES TO BE DRAWN WHEN A PARTY DOES NOT FILE EVIDENCE AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH DISCLOSURE: A WORKING EXAMPLE
In Sinha v Taylor & Ors [2022] EWHC 1096 (Comm) Mr Simon Colton QC considered the inferences to be drawn when the defendants had not filed witness evidence and there was issues in relation to disclosure. THE CASE The…
POTENTIAL CLAIMANT IN CREDIT HIRE CASE MUST GIVE PRE-ACTION DISCLOSURE OF DOCUMENTS RELEVANT TO IMPECUNIOSITY
I am grateful to Garry Herring of Keoghs solicitors for sending me a copy of the judgment of HHJ Harrison in Allianz Insurance PLC -v- Holt (3rd December 2021). It is an example of the court exercising its discretion to…
WHEN A DEFENDANT FAILS TO PRESERVE DATA ON SURVILLANCE EVIDENCE IT IS IN BREACH AND THE COURT REQUIRES AN EXPLANATION
An earlier post looked at the judgment of HHJ Walden-Smith in Stannard -v- Euro Garages Ltd [2022] EW Misc 3 (CC). There is another aspect of that judgment which is of interest. The defendant were relying on surveillance evidence. However the…
LITIGATION PRIVILEGE: WHEN DOES IT START? HOW DOES THE COURT DEAL WITH ISSUES ARISING? A HIGH COURT CASE
It is difficult to envisage a more apposite tribunal than Charles Hollander QC when matters relating to documentary evidence are in issue. This makes the reading of the decision in Kyla Shipping Co Ltd & Anor v Freight Trading Ltd…
WHEN WECHAT MESSAGES ARE LOST OR DESTROYED – BY A TWO YEAR OLD: THE ADVERSE INFERENCES A COURT CAN DRAW
In ED & F Man Capital Markets Ltd v Come Harvest Holdings Ltd & Ors [2022] EWHC 229 (Comm) Mr Justice Calver considered a case where Wechat messages had been “lost”. The judge concluded that the “loss” was deliberate and…
OH WHY ED SHEERAN CAN’T USE A STAND IN: DISCLOSURE AND THE DUTY TO SEARCH: THE SHAPE OF THINGS
In Sheeran & Ors v Chokri & Ors [2021] EWHC 3553 (Ch) Mr Justice Meade set out some of the duties owed by a litigant in relation to the disclosure process. “… Mr Sheeran’s manager undertook the disclosure exercise on…
JUDGES REFUSES TO GRANT RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS FOR DEFENDANTS WHO HAD “BURIED THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND”
In Vitrition UK Ltd v Caine & Ors [2022] EWHC 51 (Comm) HHJ Davis-White QC, sitting as a judge of the High Court, refused the defendants application for relief from sanctions following their failure to comply with an unless order…
SOCIAL MEDIA AND DISCLOSURE: A REMINDER OF THE SOLICITOR’S DUTIES
The short judgment of Mr Justice Martin Spencer in Lock v Ravi-Shankar [2021] EWHC 3247 (QB) highlights a number of important issues in relation to the solicitor’s duty, disclosure and social media in particular. “It is necessary for solicitors to…
THE SOLICITOR, SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE DUTY TO DISCLOSE: WHEN A SOLICITOR ADVISES THAT DOCUMENTS BE DELETED OR HIDDEN…
There is an interesting/alarming report of an (unnamed) case on Kennedy’s website here, as part of a general discussion about wasted costs. Discussing issues relating to fundamental dishonesty there is an account of a recent case where a claim had…
WHEN THE DEFENDANT DESTROYS DOCUMENTS AFTER BEING NOTIFIED OF A CLAIM: A “BOMBSHELL” FOLLOWED BY “RADIO SILENCE”: HIGH COURT DECISION
I am grateful to solicitor Thomas Jervis from Leigh Day for bringing my attention to the judgment of Mr Justice Martin Spencer in Ayannuga & Ors v One Shot Products Ltd [2021] EWHC 2930 (QB). The judge was considering the…
DISCLOSURE AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE: WEBINAR 19th NOVEMBER 2021
There are many cases on disclosure on this blog. Almost invariably these involve something going wrong. For example in Haider v DSM Demolition Ltd [2019] EWHC 2712 (QB) the court, on appeal, found that a claimant had been fundamentally honest…
PRE-ACTION DISCLOSURE CANNOT BE A FISHING EXPEDITION: A JUDGE WILL NOT DO THE PRUNING FOR AN APPLICANT
The judgment of Deputy Master Brightwell in Willow Sports Ltd v Sportslocker24.com Ltd & Anor [2021] EWHC 2524 (Ch) is a reminder of how difficult it can be to obtain pre-action disclosure, particularly in commercial cases. It is also a…
WHEN A BARRISTER IS CALLED TO GIVE EVIDENCE AS TO WHAT HAPPENED AT (OR OUTSIDE) COURT: PRIVILEGE IN DRAFT WITNESS STATEMENT WAIVED AS A RESULT OF IT BEING SHOWN TO COUNSEL
In Axnoller Events Ltd v Brake & Anor (cross-examination on a draft witness statement) [2021] EWHC 2539 (Ch) HHJ Paul Matthews considered the unusual circumstances whereby a barrister gave evidence, and was cross-examined, on what happened at (or outside) a…
SERIES OF WEBINARS ON CIVIL EVIDENCE: COMING TO YOUR SCREENS SOON
Now that the nights are drawing in people’s thoughts will, almost invariably, be drawn towards matters of civil evidence and the need to prove things. To cater for this I am presenting six webinars , covering key aspects of civil…
PROVING THINGS 214: SONGWRITING, COPYING AND DISCLOSURE: GIVE THEM A MINIM AND THEY’LL TAKE A MILE
An interesting issue as to proof and evidence arose in the decision of Mr Justice Zacaroli in Smith v Dryden & Ors [2021] EWHC 2277 (IPEC). The claimant failed to establish that a song had been “copied”. There are also…
IF YOU HAVE GOT ISSUES WITH DISCLOSURE YOU SHOULD HAVE SORTED THESE OUT WELL BEFORE TRIAL: HIGH COURT JUDGMENT
The judgment of Mr Justice Martin Spencer in Chouza v Martins & Ors [2021] EWHC 1669 (QB) contains much of interest and importance to anyone involved in fatal accident litigation. Indeed I will be writing a series of posts on…
CLAIMANT SUCCESSFUL ON APPEAL IN APPLICATION FOR NON-PARTY DISCLOSURE: THEY “SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO MAKE THE DISCLOSURE APPLICATION IN THE FIRST PLACE”
In Sparkes v London Pension Funds Authority & Anor [2021] EWHC 1265 (QB) Mr Justice Murray allowed an appeal and made an order for non-party disclosure in favour of a claimant. There are few appellate decisions in relation to non-party…
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