ITS NOT TOO LATE IN THE YEAR FOR “CLAIM FORM” CASES: JUDGE ALLOWS APPEAL AND GRANTS CLAIMANT EXTENSION OF TIME TO SERVE THE PARTICULARS OF CLAIM: CPR 3.9 & DENTON DID NOT APPLY
I am grateful to solicitor Chris Topping of Broudie Jackson Canter for sending me a copy of the judgment of HHJ Bird in Brown -v- the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (5th December 2024). The judge allowed an appeal against the…
FUNDAMENTAL DISHONESTY: FALSE EVIDENCE: A FALSE CV: “I AM ENTITLED TO REJECT THE EXPERT EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE BECAUSE IT IS BUILT UPON A FALSE FACTUAL BASIS”
I am grateful to Amy Birchall of HF solicitors for sending me a copy of the judgment of HHJ Bird in Scully -v- Atherton (& others). The judge found that the claimant (someone who had held a number of jobs…
FAILING TO SERVE A SEALED CLAIM FORM; FAILING TO SIGN THE STATEMENT OF TRUTH; VERY LATE APPLICATION FOR RELIEF
In Randall, R (On the Application Of) v [2024] EWHC 2924 (Admin) Mrs Justice Lang held that the court had no jurisdiction to hear a judicial review application because a sealed claim form had never been served. Further the claimant…
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…
DEFENDANT COULD NOT PLEAD MATTERS THAT WERE INCONSISTENT WITH THE JUDGMENT: QUITE A TALE HERE…
In Tait v Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust [2024] EWHC 2958 (KB) Master Sullivan considered whether the defendant’s defence was inconsistent with the matters set out in a detailed judgment that had been entered on liability and causation. …
LIMITATION, DEFAULT AND SANCTIONS – THE KEY CASES OF 2024: WEBINAR 27th NOVEMBER 2024: HELPING YOU TO AVOID PROBLEMS IN 2O25 (AND BEYOND…)
This webinar looks at the key cases relating to limitation, default and sanctions that have occurred in 2024. The aim is to look at problem areas to help litigators avoid problems in the future. Booking details are available here. THE…
THE DUTY TO PUT YOUR CASE TO A WITNESS AT TRIAL: NOT AN ABSOLUTE RULE: POSITION CONSIDERED IN THE HIGH COURT
In Wigglesworth v Beetson [2024] EWHC 2886 (Ch) HHJ Matthews (sitting as a High Court Judge) considered arguments that a failure to expressly challenge markings on a plan used by a witness meant that the evidence had to be accepted….
SERVICE AND CLAIM FORM ISSUES IN 2024: WEBINAR 19th NOVEMBER 2024
I have had enough cases for a webinar on service of the claim form since about February this year. Claim form issues have been a major part of the blog throughout 2024 (and there may be more to come…). This…
THE COURT SHOULD HAVE GRANTED AN ADJOURNMENT: APPEAL ALLOWED WHEN NO REASONS GIVEN FOR REFUSING APPLICATION
In EB Pension Fund & Ors v Froggatt [2024] EWHC 2721 (Ch) Mr Nicholas Thompsell (sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court) allowed an appeal where there had been a refusal to allow an adjournment. He held that…
BUNDLES PREPARED IN A CHAOTIC MANNER: CHRONOLOGICAL IS BEST: COMMENTS FROM THE HIGH COURT
There are over a hundred posts on this blog about the subject of bundles. Problems occur everywhere, from the Supreme Court to the Employment Tribunal. We see another example in the judgment of Mr Justice Ritchie in Mok v Fitzmaurice…
MENTIONING WITHOUT PREJUDICE MEETINGS IN WITNESS STATEMENTS: PART OF THE WITNESS STATEMENTS WERE STRUCK OUT
In Bond & Anor v Webster & Ors [2024] EWHC 989 (Ch) Master Bowles (sitting in retirement) granted an application to strike out parts of a witness statement that referred to an offer made at a without prejudice meeting. The…
CALCULATION OF TIME UNDER THE CIVIL PROCEDURE RULES: A RECAP
The case we looked at yesterday Corfield v Howard [2024] EWHC 2727 (Comm) provides an important reminder of a basic principle of the computation of time. A hearing was taking place on a Monday. The skeleton arguments were ordered to be…
ISSUING CLAIMS IN THE TCC: LOCAL IS QUICKER (AND PROBABLY MANDATORY IN ANY EVENT)
We are returning to the judgment of HHJ Stephen Davies in Workman Properties Ltd v Adi Building And Refurbishment Ltd [2024] EWHC 2627 (TCC). This time to look at the judge’s concluding observations as to venue. The failure to issue in…
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BOTH PARTIES IF THE PART 8 PROCEDURE IS TO BE USED IN MATTERS OF CONTRACTUAL CONSTRUCTION: BEST NOT THROW THE KITCHEN SINK INTO THE MIX
In Workman Properties Ltd v Adi Building And Refurbishment Ltd [2024] EWHC 2627 (TCC) HHJ Stephen Davies sent out a clear reminder of the duties on all parties in a Part 8 case where the court was being asked to…
COURT ALLOWS LATE WITNESS STATEMENT TO BE RELIED UPON: DENTON CRITERIA CONSIDERED
In Titan Wealth Holdings Ltd & Ors v Okunola (Rev1) [2024] EWHC 2586 (KB) Mrs Justice Hill considered the Denton criteria when granting the claimant permission to rely on a witness statement served out of time. There was a good…
ANOTHER WITNESS STATEMENT THAT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE RULES: THE CLAIMANT’S STATEMENT WAS “PARTICULARLY UNHELPFUL” AND LARGE IGNORED
In Burns v Bridge & Anor [2024] EWHC 2620 (Ch) HHK Cawson KC, sitting as a High Court Judge, observed that the claimant’s witness statement did not comply with PD 57AC. The witness statement was, to all and intents and…
A FINDING OF FUNDAMENTAL DISHONESTY DOES NOT AFFECT A CLAIMANT’S RIGHT TO RECOVER PROPERTY DAMAGES
In Senay & Anor v Mulsanne Insurance Company Ltd [2024] EWCC 12 HHJ Charman found that a finding of fundamental dishonesty in a personal injury action did not affect the claimant’s rights to recover damages for the property claim to…
ANOTHER LATE CLAIM FORM CASE: COURT HAD NO POWER TO EXTEND TIME: IF IT DID THEN THE CLAIMANT’S APPLICATION WOULD HAVE BEEN REFUSED IN ANY EVENT
The case of Farnham Town Council v Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing & Communities & Anor [2024] EWHC 2458 (Admin) (Tim Smith, sitting as a High Court Judge) is far from being the first case about service of…
EXPERTS CAN BE ASKED TO GIVE AN OPINION ON MATTERS OF FACT, EVEN WHEN THOSE FACTS ARE ULTIMATELY FOR THE COURT
There is a short passage in the judgment of Master Davison in The Owners of the “Christos Theo” v The Owners of the “Aliki” [2024] EWHC 2106 (Admlty) which deals with an issue rarely considered by the courts – how…
NOT A LATE CLAIM FORM CASE TODAY, BUT LATE PARTICULARS OF CLAIM LEAD TO THE ACTION BEING STRUCK OUT
As a change to the almost never ending issues relating to late service of the claim form we have a case about late service of the Particulars of Claim. In Joseph v McFaddens LLP [2024] EWHC 2447 (Ch) Deputy Master…
SOLICITORS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE DUTY TO THE COURT: THREE CASES REVIEWED
The judgment in Williams-Henry v Associated British Ports & Anor (Re Wasted Costs Order) [2024] EWHC 2415 (KB) we looked at last week contained some important observations about the limit of a solicitor’s duty to check their own client’s social media…
SPECIAL MEASURES IN A CIVIL CASE: AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WORKS
Taking special measures to protect witnesses is a well known feature in the family and criminal courts. They are less well known in the civil courts. An example can be seen in the judgment of Deputy Master Marzec in IMX…
APPLICATION FOR WASTED COSTS AGAINST CLAIMANT’S SOLICITORS DISMISSED: NO DUTY TO “DUMP” A CLIENT WHEN FUNDAMENTAL DISHONESTY IS ALLEGED
In Williams-Henry v Associated British Ports & Anor (Re Wasted Costs Order) [2024] EWHC 2415 (KB) Mr Justice Ritchie dismissed an application for wasted costs against the claimant’s solicitors. This dismissal took place at “stage one” – with the allegations…
SERVICE OF THE CLAIM FORM ON A NOMINATED SOLICITOR: SOME IMPORTANT POINTS
In the recent case of Keilaus -v- Houghton [2024] EWHC 2108 the claimant’s action failed because their solicitor failed to notice that the defendant’s solicitor had stated that they would accept service. The court had little, if any, sympathy for the…
TO ALL THOSE WHO THINK THERE MAY BE TOO MANY CASES ABOUT SERVICE OF THE CLAIM FORM ON THIS BLOG: YOU MAY BE RIGHT BUT HERE’S ANOTHER ONE…
In ETM Contractors Ltd, R (On the Application Of) v Bristol City Council [2024] EWHC 2263 (Admin) refused the claimant’s applications for relief following late issue and lateservice of the claim form. The judgment contains a detailed exposition of why…
DON’T DISCLOSE COUNSEL’S ADVICE TO THE OTHER SIDE: A REPEAT IN RELATION TO AN ISSUE THAT IS STILL HAPPENING
An issue I have seen periodically came up on LinkedIn yesterday. A defendant was complaining that there was a lack of co-operation by the claimant’s solicitor in failing to show them counsel’s Advice in relation to a claim brought by…
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…
PREPARING TRIAL AND APPLICATION BUNDLES: A LITIGATOR’S SURVIVAL GUIDE: WEBINAR 4th DECEMBER 2024
The previous post on Serra -v- Harvey [2024] EWHC 2250 (KB) has led to me finalising a (long-prepared) webinar on bundles. In Serra wasted costs were ordered on an indemnity basis against the claimant’s solicitors because the lateness and condition of the trial bundles. The bundles…
A SMALL POINT TO WATCH WHEN COMING OFF THE RECORD: YOU HAVE TO GIVE AN ADDRESS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION
In Madison Pacific Trust Ltd v Groza & Anor [2024] EWHC 2307 (Comm) Mr Justice Bryan pointed out an essential requirement for a solicitor who wants to come off the record. The Notice of Change has to give an address…
CLAIMANT’S (LATE) APPLICATION TO RELY ON EXPERT EVIDENCE DISMISSED:”LITIGATION NEEDS TO BE CONDUCTED EFFICIENTLY AND AT PROPORTIONATE COST”
In IlliquidX Ltd v Altana Wealth Ltd & Ors [2024] EWHC 2191 (Ch) Chief Master Shuman dismissed the claimant’s application to rely on expert evidence. It was held that the application was made too late and, in any event, not…
DRAFTING PLEADINGS: THERE ARE RULES YOU KNOW – THE KINGS BENCH GUIDE CONSIDERED: “PLAIN AND OBVIOUS” DEFICIENCIES WILL LEAD TO PROBLEMS
In Sammut & Ors v Next Steps Mental Healthcare Ltd & Anor [2024] EWHC 2265 (KB) HHJ Bird (sitting as Judge of the High Court) made some important observations on the way in which the Particulars of Claim were drafted….
MAKING APPLICATIONS TO THE COURT: A PRACTITIONER’S GUIDE: WEBINAR 10th SEPTEMBER 2024
It is surprising how many applications are made which do not comply with the most basic requirements of procedure and evidence. This webinar on the 10th September 2024 aims to help practitioners avoid errors and aims to ensure that participants…
A COUNTER-SCHEDULE THAT TOTALLY TOTALLY FAILED TO DO ITS JOB: COURT REFUSES PERMISSION FOR DEFENDANT TO RELY ON COUNTER-SCHEDULE THAT “SERVES NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER”
This blog has looked extensively at judicial criticism of schedules of damages over the years. It has to be remembered that counter-schedules also have to be properly drafted. This is emphasised. in the judgment of Mr Justice Julian Knowles in…
ENTERING JUDGMENT IN DEFAULT: NO DUTY ON THE PARTIES TO HELP EACH OTHER: THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE RULES
There are some interesting observations in the judgment of HHJ Cadwallader (sitting as a Judge of the High Court) in Thiscompany Ltd & Ors v Welsh & Ors [2024] EWHC 2159 (Comm). It was a case where three of the…
COST BITES 179: CHALLENGING A PROVISIONAL ASSESSMENT: CLAIMANT’S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES LEADS TO CHALLENGE BEING REJECTED
In Christodoulides v Holbech [2024] EWHC 2172 (SCCO) Deputy Costs Judge Roy KC refused a claimant’s application to revisit a provisional assessment. The claimant (the paying party) had not complied with the rules when attempting to challenge the bill and…
THE AUTOMATIC STAY UNDER CPR 15.11 AND RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS: A CASE IN POINT
In Michael Wilson & Partners, Ltd v Short [2024] EWHC 2113 (Ch) Master Clark granted the claimant relief from sanctions in a case that had become automatically stayed under CPR 15.11. This case serves as a reminder, if nothing else,…
IF YOU ARE GOING TO PROPOSE CHANGES TO A DRAFT JUDGMENT THE OTHER SIDE MUST BE NOTIFIED FIRST
The judgment of Ms. Pat Treacy (setting as a judge of the Chancery Division) in Parsons v Convatec Ltd [2024] EWHC 2111 (Pat) contains a reminder of the importance of a party notifying the other side immediately if they are going…
STRIKING OUT FOR DELAY: THE DANGERS FOR A COUNTERCLAIMING DEFENDANT IN LETTING SLEEPING DOGS LIE
In Western Avenue Properties Ltd & Anor v SONI & Anor [2024] EWHC 2124 (KB) Master Davison struck out a counterclaim on the grounds of delay. The claim had already been struck out for delay. In these circumstances the principles…
PROVING THINGS 240: PROVING THE “EELES” CRITERIA ON AN APPLICATION FOR AN INTERIM PAYMENT: GAPS IN THE EVIDENCE PREVENT A FINAL DETERMINATION BEING MADE
In XS1 (A Child) v West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust [2024] EWHC 1865 (KB) Master Stevens adjourned a claimant’s application for a substantial interim payment. The primary ground for this was that there was insufficient evidence before the court to…
FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES FOR WITNESS STATEMENTS FOR THOSE NOT PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH – “DISAPPOINTINGLY A NOT INFREQUENT OCCURRENCE”
In SZ Solicitors -v- Bharj [2024] 8WLUK 65 HHJ Monty KC dealt with the problems that arose when a party had not complied with the rules in relation to providing a witness statement for a witness who is not proficient…
AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES COMING INTO FORCE ON 1st OCTOBER 2024: A QUICK OVERVIEW
The Civil Procedure (Amendment No.3) Rules 2024 come into force on the 1st October. We will be looking at some of the provisions in detail nearer the time. The new rules can be found here. In the interim period here…
SERVICE OF THE CLAIM FORM ISSUES: CLAIMANT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: HIGH COURT UPHOLDS THE EXTENSIONS OF TIME
The judgment of Mrs Justice Hill in Graham v Fidelidade – Companhia De Seguros SA [2024] EWHC 2010 (KB) contains some salutary lessons for litigators. In particular the importance of complying the the rules for applying for extensions of time…
HARASSMENT PROCEEDINGS: PART 7 OR PART 8 ? FACTUAL DISPUTES MILITATE TRANSFER TO PART 7
We have seen several cases on this blog where the courts have considered the issues caused by the rules requiring that claims for harassment must be issued under Part 8 (however note that there is an important exception, considered in Pattinson…
COST BUDGETS, VARIATIONS AND “SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS”: JUDGE REFUSES TO REVISE THE BUDGET AFTER TRIAL
In Rahman v Hassan & Ors (Re Consequential Matters) [2024] EWHC 2038 (Ch) HHJ Paul Matthews (sitting as a High Court Judge) refused the claimant’s application that the budget be revised after the trial. The judge held that the matters relied…
PART 36: THE CONSEQUENCES APPLY TO A CLAIMANT’S OFFER EVEN WHEN THERE WAS NO CLAIM FOR A MONETARY AWARD
In Rahman v Hassan & Ors (Re Consequential Matters) [2024] EWHC 2038 (Ch) HHJ Paul Matthews (sitting as a High Court Judge) held that Part 36 applies even when the claim was not, directly, for a monetary award. There was…
ANOTHER FAILED SERVICE OF CLAIM FORM CASE: FAILURE TO SERVE PROPERLY ON A PARTNERSHIP MEANS THE ACTION COMES TO GRIEF
In Goodfellow v Warren Boyes & Archer (A Firm) [2024] EWHC 2015 (KB)Master Thornett rejected an argument that a former partner in a solicitors’ practice had been validly served when proceedings were sent to the company that had purchased that…
CHILDREN AND FATAL ACCIDENT LITIGATION 2024: KEY ISSUES CONSIDERED: WEBINAR 6th AUGUST
There are particulars challenges and difficulties facing a practitioner in cases where children are the only or primary dependants in a fatal claim. This webinar addressed the key issues, in relation to the law, practice and procedure and helping with…
HARASSMENT PROCEEDINGS: PART 7 AND NOT PART 8 SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED
There are often procedural difficulties when a claimant bringing a claim for harassment has to use the Part 8 procedure (as this is prescribed by CPR 65.28(1)(a)). However as the judgment of Aidan Eardley KC in Pattinson v Winsor [2024]…
“WHAT I CANNOT DO IS HEAR AN APPEAL AGAINST A RECITAL”: WORDING OF ORDER MEANS SLIP RULE HAS TO BE APPLIED
It appears to be a well known fact that family lawyers love recitals. (Not the musical kind – but as the preamble to any and all court orders). This issue caused problems in MA v Roux [2024] EWHC 1917 (Fam)…
TEACHER’S APPEAL WAS IN TIME AND IN THE RIGHT COURT: NO REQUIREMENT TO APPEAL TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
In Sutcliffe v Secretary of State for Education [2024] EWHC 1878 (Admin) Mr Justice Pepperall held that a teacher, exercising a statutory right of appeal to the High Court, had appealed in time when filing an appeal in the King’s…
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