In Devon & Cornwall Autistic Community Trust -v- Cornwall Council [2015] EWHC 129 (QB) the claimant’s application for the adjournment of the trial date was refused. However the claimant was given permission to serve witness statements late. Mr Justice Green…
In Webb -v- Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust [2015] EWHC 133 (QB) HH Judge Saffman (sitting as a judge of the High Court) considered the implications of an important witness not called by the defendant in a clinical negligence case….
In Global Flood Defence Systems Ltd -v- Van Den Noort Innovations BV [2015] EWHC 153 (IPEC) HH Judge Hacon made it clear that a court would only make an order giving conditional leave to defend in limited circumstances. THE CASE…
Many earlier posts have concentrated upon the need for care and accuracy in the drafting of witness statements. A classic example of the problems that can occur is shown in the judgment of Mr Justice Warby in David Halberstam -v-…
In PCV -v- The Y Regional Government of X [2014] EWHC 68 (Comm) Mr Justice Hamblen set out, in clear terms, the rigorous nature of the duty to give full and frank disclosure to the court when making a without…
In Simpson -v- MGN Limited [2015] EWHC 126 (QB) Mr Justice Warby considered several contentions in relation to costs budgeting; non-service of costs schedules and proportionality. This is, again, a case that serves as an object lesson as to the…
In Blankley -v- Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust [2015] EWCA Civ 18, where judgment was given today, the Court of Appeal upheld the first instance decision that a claimant’s subsequent incapacity does not invalidate a claimant’s…
Several recent posts have looked at the inferences the court can draw in circumstances where a witness is not called or is silent on key points. This issue was mentioned in a judgment today by H H Judge Mackie QC…
In the recent case of Gordon Ramsay -v- Gary Love [2015] EWHC 65 Mr Justice Morgan considered, among other things, the inferences that could properly be drawn from the absence or silence of a witness. He refers to the relevant…
The decision of H H Judge Freedman in Havenga -v- Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust [2014] EWHC B25(QB) demonstrates how difficult it is for a party to appeal a costs budget. THE CASE The claimant was bringing a claim for hemiplegic…
The dangers of a claimant rejecting a Part 36 offer are clearly demonstrated in the case of UWUG Ltd & Haiss -v- Ball [2015] EWHC 74 (IPEC). The claimant received damages of £2,859.20 but was ordered to pay the defendant…
COSTS AT THE END OF THE CASE: THE JUDGE CAN MAKE OBSERVATIONS ABOUT MATTERS OUTSIDE THE COSTS BUDGET
The judgment of H.H. Judge Simon Brown Q.C in Excelerate Technology Ltd -v- Cumberbatch [2015] EWHC B1 Mercantile contains some interesting observations at the end. This illustrates the need for trial counsel to be aware of both the costs budget…
THE RIHANNA CASE AND OPINION EVIDENCE IN WITNESS STATEMENTS: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT GOT THE TEE SHIRT
We should, perhaps, get used to celebrities dominating the law reports. After court fees are increased they will be the only people who will be able to afford litigation in any event. The case of Robyn Rihanna Fenty -v- Arcadia…
The short judgment of Mr Justice Warby in Sloutsker -v- Romanova [2015] EWHC 81(QB) contains some important observations about preparing for hearings. It also serves as a timely reminder that a party asking for permission to instruct an expert must…
The judgment of His Honour Allan Gore QC (sitting as a High Court judge) in Edwards -v- London Borough of Sutton [2014] EWHC 4378 QB contains some important observations about documents, Civil Evidence Act notices and witness statements. THE CASE…
There is a brief report on Lawtel today of the case of Marsh -v- Ministry of Justice (QB Phillips J 20/01/2015)*. It provides an object lesson on the need for all parties (and non-parties) to lodge – or re-lodge -…
The case of Gordon Ramsay -v- Gary Love [2015] EWHC 65 (Ch) has had much attention in the media, primarily because of the identity of the claimant. However the judge made important observations as to the inferences that can be…
In Chliafichtein -v-Wainbridge Estates Belgravia Ltd [2015] EWHC 47 (TCC) Mr Justice Coulson made some comments in relation to the escalation of costs in preparing for an argument about who should pay the costs. THE CASE The claimant obtained an…
Service of the claim form raises its head for the second time in two days. In Dunbar Assets Plc -v- BCP Premier Limited [2014] EWHC 10 (Ch) Mr John Baldwin QC (sitting as a Deputy Judge) overturned an order that…
There is a section on this blog which provides regularly updated links to posts and articles on civil procedure. However the issue of the major proposed increase in court fees is such a major issue I am giving this its…
The controversy surrounding the new guidelines by the CPS for the preparation of witnesses in serious cases has led me to consider the rules and principles relating to witness preparation in the context of civil litigation. This is always a…
Another interesting twist to the law of service of proceedings can be found in the Court of Appeal decision in Ashley -v- Tesco Stores (15/01/2015)*. The Court of Appeal found that there was a six month period for service of…
In Rai -v- Jaskaran Singh Bholowasia Pardes Weekly (UK) Ltd [2014] EWHC 4501 (QB) Mrs Justice Simler granted what was effectively an oral application for relief from sanctions. THE CASE The claimant brought an action for defamation. There was an…
It is always useful to look at the way in which courts are carrying out summary assessments. Another interesting example of the pragmatic approach adopted can be found in the judgment of Mr Justice Akenhead in Savoye -v- Spicers Ltd…
In Gilks -v- Hodgson [2015] EWCA Civ 5 the Court of Appeal had strong words to say about the costs of a boundary dispute. The observations should be read by anyone tempted to litigate about these issues. THE CASE The…
The case of Avonwick -v- Webinvest has been looked at before on this blog. Mr Justice David Richards held that letters asking for time to pay a debt were not covered by privilege just because they were headed “without prejudice”….
The Denton principles were considered by Mr Registrar Jones in Justice Capital Ltd -v- Murphy [2014] All ER (D) 187 (Dec). There were important issues in relation to proportionality and costs. Of particular interest is the rigorous case management and…
The issue of serving witness statements late, with relief from sanctions being required, was considered by Mr Justice Warby in Hamdani -v- Khafaf & others [2015] EWHC 38 (QB). It contains some timely warnings. THE CASE The claimants were bringing…
In Enterprise Holdings, Inc -v- Europcar Group UK Ltd [2015] EWHC 17 (Ch) Mr Justice Arnold made some telling remarks which bear on proportionality, witness evidence and costs. THE CASE The dispute related to the use of a “e” logo…
In Altus Group (UK) Limited -v- Baker Tilly [2015] EWHC 12 (Ch) HH Judge Keyser QC reviewed the circumstances in which a judge can change their mind after sending out a draft judgment. THE CASE The claimant brought an action…
Service of the claim form remain a major cause of problems. Here we re-cap on the basic causes of many of the problems, with links through to the many posts on this subject. 1. NOT SERVING THE CLAIM FORM IN…
In Richardson -v- Glencore UK Ltd [2014] EWHC 3990 (Comm) Mr Justice Walker had strong words to say about any apparent casualness by the parties in preparing for, and attending, the Case Management Conference. The judgment was intended to be…
There are now over 640 individual posts on this blog. Occasionally it helps to recap. Here I provide links to the series on “avoiding negligence” claims written at the end of 2013. THE SERIES The series was primarily aimed at…
The Lord Chief Justice’s Report for 2014 is available online. It covers many aspects of the judicial system. Here we look at the report in relation to civil justice, THE REPORT On civil justice the Report identifies 5 key areas:…
This post provides a summary of the changes to Part 36 and then considers the practical implications of the new rules, including the implications for on-going litigation. There are links to the relevant posts on the issue and a summary…
In Walls -v- London Eastern Railway Ltd (N Wilkinson QC) 05/12/2014* the judge found that the claimant’s continuing back pain was caused by a long-standing degenerative spinal condition rather than an accident. THE JUDGE’S COMMENTARY ON THE EXPERT EVIDENCE One…
The case of Nata Lee Ltd -v- Abid [2014] EWCA Civ 1652 has already attracted attention following the observations the Court of Appeal make about relief from sanctions and litigants in person. However there are several important observations about procedure…
This is the 9th in the series on the new Part 36. Here we deal with the relevant case law which may be changed by the new rules. THE EXPLANATORY TEXT Rule changes are usually accompanied by helpful explanatory notes….
It is no accident that there is nearly a month between the first post in this series and the second. Nor is it surprising that very little (if anything) has been written on “proportional” litigation. This is a difficult subject….
Here we look at the structure of the new Part 36. The section part of this post recaps and provides links to the earlier posts on the new Part 36. Future posts will deal with the impact of the new…
This post looks at the new Part 36 rules in relation to the RTA and EL/PL Protocol. The new rules appear to be only slightly different different to the old. These rules come into force on the 6th April 2015…
The Bar Council has very useful guidance drafting witness statements in civil proceedings*. This deals with the practicalities of drafting statements and ethical issues that arise in the material that can properly be included (and omitted) from statement. It is, as…
This is the sixth in the series of posts dealing with the new rules governing Part 36 coming into force in April 2015. This post deals with a new section of Part 36 on personal injury cases. This appears to…
One addition to the rule is a further factor for the court to take into account when considering whether or not the usual costs, and other consequences, of Part 36 should apply. THE NEW CPR 36.17: COSTS CONSEQUENCES FOLLOWING JUDGMENT…
This is the fourth in the series of posts on the new Part 36 coming into force on the 6th April 2015. The rules contain a brand new provision that deals with the position where a offeror’s costs are limited…
This is the third in the series of posts that deals with the Part 36 provisions coming into force on the 6th April 2015. Here we look at the rules restricting disclosure of a Part 36 offer and some important…
There were only a few comments when I asked, on twitter, for recommendations for the civil case of the year. I have overlooked the obvious candidate (Denton)and gone for a case that can, and should, reinvigorate belief in the civil…
This is the second part of a series dealing with the new provisions of Part 36 which comes into force on the 6th April 2015. The first in the series can be found here. Here we look at the new…
Is an admission made by an insurer under the Portal binding on the parties in a future action? In September last year we looked at the case of Ullah -v- Jon where a district judge held that an admission was…
Previous posts have dealt with the problem of defining the line between submissions and evidence – with the dangers that an advocate could be “giving evidence”. However there are circumstances in which an advocate may have to give evidence as…
