There is an interesting issue in relation to recusal in the judgment of Mrs Justice Arbuthnot in Griffiths v Griffiths (Decision on Recusal) [2021] EWHC 3600 (Fam). THE CASE The judge was determining issues relating to access to children….
In R v Barts Health NHS Trust [2022] EWHC B3 (Costs) Costs Judge Rowley considered a number of interesting issues relating to the problem of apportioning costs where two actions had been run alongside each other. There are interesting observations…
DEFENDANT’S EXPERTS, STRIDENT LANGUAGE AND THE PART 35 DUTY OWED TO THE COURT: JUDGE ISSUES REMINDER
The previous post looked at the rejection of allegations of fundamental dishonesty in Palmer v Mantas & Anor [2022] EWHC 90 (QB). That judgment also contains some observations in relation to several of the medical experts called on behalf of the…
In Palmer v Mantas & Anor [2022] EWHC 90 (QB) Anthony Metzer QC (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) rejected an argument that a claimant had been fundamentally dishonest. Judgment was entered for £1,679.406 instead of a finding of…
In Davis & Anor v Winner [2021] EW Misc 23 (CC) the parties between them appear to have spent over £200,000 in costs. This is a dispute over inches of land. It is not surprising that HHJ Mithani QC expressed…
The judgment of HHJ Pearce (sitting as a High Court Judge) in The Huntsworth Wine Company Ltd v London City Bond Ltd [2022] EWHC 98 (comm) contains a detailed consideration of several aspects of the law of costs. It is…
YOU CAN’T RAISE A TOTALLY NEW POINT ON APPEAL: COURT OF APPEAL DOES NOT ALLOW A MAJOR CHANGE OF CASE
In London Borough of Brent v Johnson [2022] EWCA Civ 28 the Court of Appeal set out the difficulties for a party that wishes to take a fundamentally new or different point on appeal. This gives rise to major difficulties…
In S (Vulnerable Party: Fairness Of Proceedings) [2022] EWCA Civ 8 the Court of Appeal set aside a judgment when the court had not appreciated that a key witness was a vulnerable witness and that steps needed to be taken…
In the judgment today in Prime London Holdings 11 Ltd v Thurloe Lodge Ltd [2022] EWHC 79 (Ch) Mr Nicholas Thompsell (sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court) considered the appropriate response to a witness statement that failed…
The Court of Appeal judgment today in The Good Law Project, R (On the Application Of) v Minister for the Cabinet Office [2022] EWCA Civ will, no doubt, be subject to much legal, and political, scrutiny. Here I want to…
I am grateful to solicitor Hamish Cameron Blackie for sending me a copy of the judgment of HHJ Bloom in Conlon -v- Ringway Infrastructure Services Ltd (County Court at Luton, 2nd December 2021) where the judge struck out an action…
I am grateful to barrister Richard Wilkinson for sending me a copy of the decision of Master Thornett in O’Grady -v- B15 Group Limited [2022] EWHC 67 (QB). The Master decided that Part 36 offers were subject to the doctrine…
In Peter Sharp & Son (a Firm) v GEA Farm Technologies (UK) Ltd [2022] EWHC 64 (Ch) Deputy Master Raeburn considered issues relating to “similar fact” evidence and made an order preventing a claimant from adducing evidence in relation to other…
In Alfozan v Quastel Midgen LLP [2022] EWHC 66 (Comm) HHJ Pearce (sitting as a High Court judge) struck out an action on the grounds of the claimant’s delay. The case had been “warehoused” and the claimant had not adduced…
In Hirst & Anor v Dunbar & Ors [2022] EWHC 41 (TCC) Mr Justice Eyre highlighted the need for a claimant to prove losses, and expenditure, the court will not speculate on items relating to expenditure. “In my judgement…
I am sure that our eminent housing bloggers and commentators will write about the important substantive judgment in the case of Rosebery Housing Association Ltd v Williams & Anor [2021] EW Misc 22 (CC). However this blog deals with only one…
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…
There are a number of cases reported today in relation to service of the claim form and relief from sanctions. This may be an appropriate time to remind people of the webinar on the 20th January 2020 “Avoiding Procedural Pitfalls…
The first (but probably not the last) case on service of the claim form arrives in January, with the Court of Appeal decision in Ideal Shopping Direct Ltd & Ors v Mastercard Incorporated & Ors [2022] EWCA Civ 14. It…
Issues relating to adjournments are a regular feature of the search terms that lead to this blog. There are two recent cases where questions relating to adjournments were considered, the first we will look at is the judgment of Mr…
In Kea Investments Ltd v Watson [2022] EWHC 5 (Ch) Lord Justice Nugee considered the question of what costs order should be made after a respondent had been committed to prison for contempt. The applicant had succeeded on some, but…
In The Sky’s the Limit Transformations Ltd v Mirza [2022] EWHC 29 (TCC) HHJ Stephen Davies makes a number of suggestions designed to mitigate the potentially ruinous costs of litigation in relation to domestic building disputes. ” … it would…
This blog has looked, several times, at the judgment of Mr Justice Johnson in TVZ & Ors v Manchester City Football Club [2022] EWHC 7 (QB). It is also worth looking at for the explanation the judge gives as to the steps…
It may say a lot about contemporary litigation that the practice of numerous witnesses producing near identical witness statements is so common that I almost decided not to write about it. The practice was considered by HHJ Judge Hodge QC…
The previous post looked at the decision in TVZ & Ors v Manchester City Football Club [2022] EWHC 7 (QB) in relation to the issue of vicarious liability. However it is important to note that the claimants did not succeed in…
The judgment of Mr Justice Johnson in TVZ & Ors v Manchester City Football Club [2022] EWHC 7 (QB) makes for difficult reading. The judge pays tribute to the remarkable men who brought the action, all of whom had been…
In European Real Estate Debt Fund (Cayman) Ltd v Treon & Ors [2021] EWHC 2866 (Ch) Mr Justice Miles considered issues relating to costs after a defendant had succeeded at trial because the claimant’s action was statute barred. The judge…
In Hankin v Barrington & Ors [2021] EWHC B1 (Costs) Deputy Master Campbell considered the question of whether leading counsel’s brief fee was payable in full (or in part) by the defendant when the brief had been delivered but the…
Here I want to look at some practical matters which can help a party seeking relief from sanctions. This is guidance on the most prudent steps to take but it should be made clear that there are no easy options….
This may be one of the few blogs that has a category “Trial Bundles”, with dozens of posts on this topic. It remains one of the most searched and read subjects on this site. Here I am revisiting a useful…
There are several hundred posts on this site about the drafting of witness statements. These are usually written about because things have gone awry. The skill and effort involved in drafting a proper and appropriate witness statement are often overlooked. …
NB THIS DECISION WAS OVERTURNED BY MR JUSTICE JOHNSON, SEE Lisa Jones v Richard Slade And Company Ltd [2022] EWHC 1968 (QB) In Jones -v- Richard Slade & Co Ltd [2021] EWHC B28 (Costs) Costs Judge Rowley rejected the defendant’s…
I have said before that some of the most popular posts on this blog are those where there is a costs assessment. We can see a detailed breakdown in an assessment in the judgment of HHJ Pearce in Hodgson v…
On the 13th January 2022 I am giving a webinar on Avoiding Problems with Limitation and making a Section 33 application. Booking details are available here. THE WEBINAR The webinar looks at recent cases about limitation in personal injury…
Trying to start a good way to start a year is always challenging. It is a good time for repeats, in 2019 asked the good people of Twitter for the advice they would give to the tyro lawyer. I recently…
The judgment of HHJ Paul Matthews in Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Wright [2021] EWHC 3440 (Ch) provides enough material for half a dozen seminars on civil evidence. Here we look at one aspect of it, the rule in Hollington -v-…
This year the blog has had 529,639 visitors and 1,349,269 views. 535 posts have been published. The number of posts were not as hectic as last year (770 posts) but 2020 was dominated by guidance on litigating in a Covid…
The President of the Family Division has issued guidance on E-Bundles Sup-guidance-E-bundles. Many of the points made here can provide guidance to civil practitioners. “No page should appear upside down.” GUIDANCE ON E-BUNDLES FOR USE IN THE FAMILY COURT AND…
In Williams v Nilsson & Anor [2021] EWHC 3184 (Ch) HHJ Richard Williams (sitting as a High Court judge) allowed an appeal in a case relating to ownership of property. There is plenty about procedure and evidence in this case,…
The review of opening lines of judgments has become an annual event. Here we look at some of the most interesting opening lines of judgments from cases this year. They cover a wide range of topics and courts. This particular…
The results of the 2021 Legal Christmas Music contest were announced on Twitter earlier this month. The (plastic) trophy has been sent to the Secret Barrister for signature and is on its way to the winner. The winner remains anonymous,…
In Tehrani v Hamilton Bonaduz AG & Ors [2021] EWHC 3457 (IPEC) HHJ Hacon considered a case where a claimant appeared as their own expert witness. THE CASE The claimant, a professor, brought an action asserting that the defendant…
I wrote about the first instance decision in Murray v Richard Slade And Co Ltd [2021] EWHC 3383 (QB), in two posts in January this year, the first is here, the second here. The claimant in that case (the solicitor…
In NAX v MAX & Anor [2021] EWHC 3492 (QB) Master Brown refused a claimant’s application for an interim order for costs. The judgment is useful in that it reviews the previous cases on the topic and sets out the…
In Aelf MSN 242, LLC v De Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV DBA Surinam Airways [2021] EWHC 3482 (Comm) Peter MacDonald Eggers QC (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) granted a defendant relief from sanctions in relation to late (and…
I have mentioned before how many people are interested in reading cases about the summary assessment of costs. There is an example in the judgment of Senior Master Fontaine in Goodram & Anor v Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd [2020] EWHC…
An issue relating to the covert recording of conversations arose in the decision of Recorder Briggs in Children (Private Law: Covert Recordings: Adjournment of Final Hearing), Re [2021] EWFC B82. A party wanted to rely on a “transcript” of secret…
Anyone who thinks that the rules relating to pleadings are now more relaxed and less important should read the decision of Mr Justice Cotter in Charles Russell Speechlys LLP v Beneficial House (Birmingham) Regeneration LLP [2021] EWHC 3458 (QB). This…
The judgment of Master Stevens in Shah v London Borough of Barnet [2021] EWHC 2631 (QB) provides an essential summary of the rules and case law in relation to resiling from admissions. The decision itself was looked at in an…
In Shah v London Borough of Barnet [2021] EWHC 2631 (QB) Master Stevens refused the defendant’s application for permission to resile from a pre-action admission. “On the particular facts of this case, I believe it would reflect poorly on the…
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