SUMMARY ASSESSMENT OF COSTS: WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE PRESSED FOR TIME
I am looking again at the judgment of HHJ Hodge QC in Cohen v Fine & Ors [2020] EWHC 3278 (Ch) a because, in concentrating on the issues relating to hourly rates, the other important part of the judgment may…
EXPERT EVIDENCE NOT ADMITTED: IT WAS NOT NECESSARY AND TOO COSTLY
It must be disheartening for parties who get to trial to find that the judge does not think that the “experts” they have instructed (at great cost) are not regarded by the courts as experts at all. This is exactly…
INDEMNITY COSTS AFTER A JUDGMENT DEBTOR WAS EXAMINED: IN ADDITION THERE IS GOING TO BE A SECOND MATCH…
In Shearer v Neal [2020] EWHC 3148 (QB) Deputy Master Hill QC ordered that a debtor pay costs on the indemnity basis after she heard a Part 71 hearing. The case was also remitted to the High Court Judge on…
APPLYING FOR RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS: TWO CLASSIC MISTAKES AND A REMINDER OF 10 KEY POINTS
The judgment in Diriye v Bojaj & Anor [2020] EWCA Civ 1400 shows, at least, two classic mistakes that people make when applying for relief from sanctions: not making the application promptly and not remedying the default properly (in fact…
THE DANGERS OF APPLYING FOR NON-PARTY COSTS ORDERS: THE APPLICANT HAS TO PAY THE PRICE: COURT OF APPEAL DECISION TODAY
In the judgment today in Deepchand & Anor v Sooben [2020] EWCA Civ 1409 the Court of Appeal overturned a decision that there be no order for costs when a party made an unsuccessful application for a non-party costs order. …
COUNSEL PROHIBITED FROM ACTING FOR A PARTY: APPEAL UPHELD: A VERY RARE POWER EXERCISED
In Ahmed v Iqbal (Order Preventing Counsel from Acting) [2020] EWHC 2666 (Fam) Mr Justice Macdonald upheld a decision preventing counsel from acting for a party in family proceedings. THE CASE The father and mother were involved in proceedings under…
ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: THE USE OF A POST OFFICE BOX NUMBER OR ACCOMODATION ADDRESS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE RULES: (ALSO – THE PRICE TAG FOR LITIGANTS IN PERSON)
In Smith v Marston Holdings Ltd & Anor [2020] EW Misc 23 (CC) HHJ Paul Matthews made some observations about the correct address for service when applications are issued. He also noted the issues that can arise when dealing with…
“A MOST UNUSUAL CASE”: “A JUDGE’S DRAFT JUDGMENT IS NOT AN INVITATION TO TREAT”
In FS v RS and JS [2020] EWFC 63 Sir James Munby warned against trying to re-open cases after judgment has been given. There were several attempts to re-open the judgment after it was given. It is the only judgment…
SEEK PERMISSION TO APPEAL PROMPTLY (AND TELL THE JUDGE ABOUT IT): “A close analysis of the parties’ cases thus reveals a fractal pattern of progressively complex and ever-finer recursive detail of sharply declining significance.”
The judgment of Mr Justice Turner in Município De Mariana & Ors v BHP Group Plc & Anor [2020] EWHC 2471 (TCC) discloses an unusual turn of events in relation to an appeal. It contains some important observations about the…
NEWTON’S LAW AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE COURT: THE NEED FOR PARTIES TO GO THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE PROCEDURE
There are is brief passage in the judgment of Mr Recorder Allen QC in G v C [2020] EWFC B35 (OJ) (16 July 2020) that is of general application. “The communication has served to demonstrate Newton’s third law of…
RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS ALLOWED WHEN JUDGE HAD RESERVATIONS AS TO WHETHER STRIKING OUT ORDER SHOULD EVER HAVE BEEN MADE
In Barakat v Greycourt Ltd [2020] EWHC 643 (Ch) Mr Justice Fancourt granted relief from sanctions to an appellant whose appeal had been struck out without notice. One thing of note in this judgment is the order striking out the…
AMENDING PLEADINGS? HAVE A DRAFT AT COURT: JUDGE CONSIDERS “CIRCULAR ARGUMENTS” AND A “PARTICULARLY UNFORTUNATE PROCEDURAL LITIGATION HISTORY”
The judgment of HHJ Gore QC (sitting as a High Court judge) in Sivaji v Ministry of Defence [2020] EWHC 2006 (QB) makes interesting reading. It is an object lesson in the need to have an amended pleading to hand…
POINTS TAKEN ON APPLICATION WERE “ALL BAD”: PARTIES TO LITIGATION ARE NOT BOUND TO TAKE BAD OR HOPELESS POINTS
The judgment of Master Davison in Vale SA v BSG Resources Ltd & Anor [2020] EWHC 2021 (Comm) contains some interesting observations on the “state of litigation”. “The points taken on Mr Cramer’s behalf were not a mixture of…
SETTING ASIDE AN ORDER MADE WITHOUT A HEARING OR MADE WITHOUT NOTICE : THE RELEVANT CRITERIA
The previous post looked at the judgment in Kuznetsov, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Camden [2019] EWHC 3910 (Admin). In that judgment Mostyn J stated that there was no authority on the issue of the criteria when…
COSTS ORDERS MADE WITHOUT A HEARING: HENRY VIII AND THE RELEVANT CRITERIA FOR VARYING ORDERS
We are looking again (and not for the last time) at the decision of Mr Justice Mostyn in Kuznetsov, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Camden [2019] EWHC 3910 (Admin). This time on the question on the…
GET YOUR COSTS SCHEDULES TO COURT: OR ELSE (YOU WON’T GET PAID): MAKE YOUR BED AND THEN LIE IN IT
The judgment of Mr Justice Mostyn in Kuznetsov, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Camden [2019] EWHC 3910 (Admin)has a number of elements that are of interest to costs lawyers, and litigators generally. I am going to…
ACTION NOT STRUCK OUT BECAUSE ALLEGATIONS OF BAD FAITH AND WILFUL MISCONDUCT NOT FULLY PARTICULARISED
In Palladian Partners LP & Ors v The Republic of Argentina & Anor [2020] EWHC 1946 (Comm) Mrs Justice Cockerill refused to strike out pleadings alleging, bad faith, wilful misconduct and manifest error. This is the second example recently of…
“INTEMPERATE DEBATE” IN LEGAL CORRESPONDENCE: A REVIEW OF THE GUIDANCE AND CASES
The judgment yesterday in Collier & Ors v Bennett [2020] EWHC 1884 (QB) contained some judicial observations as to “intemperate debate” in correspondence. This provides an opportunity to review guidance and judicial observations on this topic. THE CASE The judge…
DENTON PRINCIPLES APPLIED IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT: EXTENSION OF TIME GRANTED FOLLOWING DEFAULT IN AN EXTRADITION CASE
In Zelenko v Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Latvia [2020] EWHC 1800 (Admin) the Administrative Court applied Denton principles to an issue concerning extradition. THE CASE An order had been made extraditing the applicant to Latvia. The…
THE STATEMENT OF CASE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN STRUCK OUT: JUDGE PROVIDES A LESSON IN THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PLEADING
In Tejani v Fitzroy Place Residential Ltd & Anor [2020] EWHC 1856 (TCC) Mr Justice Pepperall sent out a clear reminder of the basic purpose of pleading. He rejected an argument by the defendant that a particulars of claim should…