TWO DAYS LATE SERVICE OF NOTICE OF APPEAL IS A "TRIVIAL" ERROR: HIGH COURT DECISION CONSIDERED
In Harrogate Borough Council -v- Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government & Zammitt [2014] EWHC 1506 (Admin) the appellant was two days late in serving a notice of appeal. His Honour Judge Behrens (sitting as a judge of the…
COSTS DRAFTSMAN SIGNING COSTS BUDGET DOES NOT RENDER IT A NULLITY: HIGH COURT DECISION TODAY CONSIDERED
There may be no end to the Mitchell points being taken. In a case earlier today, Americhem Europe Ltd -v- Rakem Ltd [2014] EWHC 1881 (TCC) e Mr Justice Stuart-Smith considered an argument that the costs budget signed by a…
SETTING JUDGMENT ASIDE: DELAY & PROMPTNESS
When setting aside a default judgment the court has to consider whether the application was made “promptly”. The relevance and importance of a “prompt” application has been considered several times on this blog. The issue was considered again in Page…
FAILURE TO SERVE FORM N251: ADDITIONAL LIABILITIES & PREMIUM DISALLOWED; RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS REFUSED
We are seeing reports come through of cases that were decided some time ago. However they provide illustrations of the problems that can arise and the court’s likely approach. Ibbertson -v- Black Horse Ltd [Maidstone County Court] is available on…
PAY COURT FEES ON TIME AND DON'T RELY ON COURT STAFF FOR LEGAL ADVICE: ANOTHER REPORTED CASE WHERE RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS REFUSED:
The case of Decadent Vapours Ltd -v- Bevan et al (Judge Jarman Q.C. Cardiff District Registry, 18th February 2014) was reported on Lawtel this morning. It provides another warning of the dangers involved in not complying with court orders on…
WHO IS WATCHING YOUR BACK? A CHECKLIST ON "DEFENSIVE LITIGATION"
The previous post looked at the “fish file” checklist prepared by groups in a recent session I conducted in at one of Kerry Underwood’s courses. A second checklist was also prepared by the groups and this related to “defensive litigation”….
OTHER ESSENTIAL CHECKLISTS: DEALING WITH THOSE "FISH FILES"
Earlier posts looked at the essential checklists prepared by delegates at the “how to get sued” conference. Missing from those checklists was any discussion of one real problem for practitioners that can often lead to problems – the “fish file”….
PROVING SOMETHING HAS BEEN POSTED: SWEAR IT TO BE TRUE
I initially read the Court of Appeal decision of Price -v- Price [2014[ EWCA] Civ with interest because it showed that the old CPR 3.9 still applied in family proceedings. However Jon Williams pointed out that the case has an…
YOU CAN AGREE TO EXTEND TIME NOW: BUT SHOULD YOU AGREE TO EXTENSIONS?
Parties can agree to extend time from the 5th June. I have already written on the dangers of the system. However, if the dangers can be sidestepped, should a litigator agree to extend time. THE HEATED DEBATE: SHOULD PARTIES AGREE EXTENSIONS? This…
"ESSENTIAL CHECKLISTS": THE COMPLETE LIST
The “Essential Checklist” series developed out of a workshop series in a course I gave last month. Six groups produced six checklists. Here is a link to them all. SERVICE OF PROCEEDINGS: (“SERVICE WITH A SMILE”) Essential points before the…
AVOIDING UNDERSETTLEMENT: THE FINAL "ESSENTIAL CHECKLIST" & A USEFUL LINK
The final list in the “essential checklist” series is on “avoiding undersettlement”. The day the course was held the Law Society Gazette had published Rachel Rothwell’s piece on Why Cannibalism is coming to PI. One delegate noted that he had…
COURT OF APPEAL TO HEAR THREE MORE CASES ON RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS
The Court of Appeal is to hear three cases on sanctions on the 16th & 17th June. One of the cases being considered is Utilise -v- Davies [2014] EWHC 834 (Ch) which was considered in an earlier post on this blog. The…
SURVIVING MITCHELL 20: THE GREAT BIG OVERALL CHECKLIST
I suspect that this series could go on indefinitely. It is drawn to a close with a round up of the key points. KEY POINTS 1. Know what happened in Mitchell and how it could have been avoided. 2. Assume…
SURVIVING MITCHELL 19: PRACTICE "DEFENSIVE LITIGATION" OR DON'T PRACTICE AT ALL
This is the 19th (and penultimate) in this series on “surviving Mitchell”. What the Mitchell case makes clear is that there is now precious little room for error in civil procedure. We have to develop systems of “defensive litigation”. That…
“MITCHELL BITES TO PENALISE LITIGANTS WHO FAIL TO COMPLY”: EXTENSIONS OF TIME, APPEALS AND BAHO.
The case of Baho & Ors –v- Meerza [2014] EWCA Civ 669 is a further example of a litigant coming to grief because they failed to file an application in time and make the application for an extension of time…
PROMPTNESS AND APPLICATIONS TO SET ASIDE JUDGMENT : THE BIG YELLOW VAN –V- RAYNER 27/05/2014 CONSIDERED
PROMPTNESS AND APPLICATIONS TO SET ASIDE JUDGMENT : THE BIG YELLOW VAN –V- RAYNER (2014) IPEC (Judge Hacon) 27/05/2014 CONSIDERED The importance of a prompt response to procedural issues and setting aside default judgment has been explored previously on this…
“FAILING TO SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES” AND LATE APPLICATIONS TO AMEND PLEADINGS : GROARKE –V- FONTAINE CONSIDERED
Groarke –v- Fontaine [2014] EWHC 1679 (QB) centred on a Road Traffic Accident that happened in November 2009. The central issue on appeal was whether a late application to amend the defence to plead contributory negligence should have been allowed….
SERVICE BY E-MAIL: SETTING ASIDE JUDGMENTS AFTER MITCHELL AND MUCH MORE: BRETT –V- COLCHESTER HOSPITAL UNIVERSITY CONSIDERED
There is a considerable amount of interest in the judgment of Master O’Hare in this case. Firstly was service by e-mail good service when a party had not complied with the Practice Direction on service by electric means? Secondly what…
A DELIBERATE DECISION NOT TO FILE A WITNESS STATEMENT AND YET RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS GRANTED: MONDE PETROLEUM SA-V- WESTERNAZAGROS LTD CONSIDERED
In Monde Petroleum SA –v- Westernzagros Ltd (2014) QBD (Comm) (Hamblen J) 19/05/2014 a party intentionally failed to file a witness statement on time, yet relief from sanctions was granted. (The following is based on the Lawtel summary) THE FACTS…
CPR 3.9: MITCHELL AND APPLYING TO JOIN GROUP LITIGATION: HOLLOWAY -v- TRANSFORM MEDICAL GROUP
In Holloway -v- Transport Medical Group [2014] EWHC 1641 (QB) Mrs Justice Thirlwall DBE considered whether the “Mitchell” principles applied to late applications to join the register of claims following a Group Litigation Order. THE JUDGMENT The judgment is available…
SETTING ASIDE A DEFAULT JUDGMENT AFTER MITCHELL: WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE TEST?
There has been much discussion of whether the Mitchell principles impact upon an application have a default judgment set aside. There are some cases that indicate that the amended CPR 3.9 should be taken into account in relation to a…
RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS, PRISONS AND SANITATION
The issue of relief from sanctions was considered by Mr Justice Hickinbottom in Ashton (et al) -v- The Ministry of Justice [2014] EWHC 1624 QB. THE FACTS A large number of prisoners were bringing actions under the European Convention alleging…
A TWO DAY BREACH IS "TRIVIAL": ANOTHER CASE WHERE RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS GRANTED AFTER LATE SERVICE OF COSTS BUDGET
In Azure East Midlands Ltd -v- Manchester Aiport Group Ltd [2014] EWHC 1644 (TCC) His Honour Judge Grant made an order for relief from sanctions where a costs budget was served two days late. THE BREACH The claimant filed its…
MITCHELL CASES: HAVING A TAXING TIME? THREE CASES CONSIDERED IN THE TAX CHAMBER
The “Mitchell” principles have been adopted in other tribunals, not least the First Tier Chamber Tax Tribunal. There are three recent cases where the Mitchell principles have been considered extensively by the Tribunal. The principles have had a major impact…
JACKSON L.J. ON AGREEING EXTENSIONS OF TIME AND DEFAULT COSTS CERTIFICATES: IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
I have already dealt with the rules to be introduced next month in relation to the parties being able to agree extensions of time in civil proceedings. Today Jackson L.J. made it clear that it was never part of his…
AGREEMENTS TO EXTEND TIME: THE NEW RULES IN FULL
It required a statutory instrument to reinstate the ability to extend time that the Jackson Report never intended to take away. THE NEW RULES The Civil Procedure (Amendment No 5) Rules 2014 come into force on the 5th June 2014….
MASSIVE DELAY, SETTING ASIDE JUDGMENT AND THE MITCHELL PRINCIPLES: MID-EAST SALES LTD –v- UNITED ENGINEERING & THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN CONSIDERED
One of the many moot points that arise from Mitchell is how far the amendment to the overriding objective and CPR 3.9 impact upon applications to have judgment set aside. This issue was considered by Burton J in Mid-East Sales…
AMENDING PLEADINGS LATE AND MITCHELL: NOT A SMOOTH JOURNEY
What relevance do the Mitchell principles have in relation to applications to amend pleadings. Particularly when those applications are made late? This was considered by Mrs Justice Andrews in Dany Lions Ltd -v- Bristol Cars Ltd [2014] EWHC (QB) 928….
CHANGING THE TRIAL DATE : A CASE IN POINT: MITCHELL REMAINS A "TOP BRAND"
Ever since the introduction of the Woolf reforms the trial date has been viewed as fairly sacrosanct. Once set it is hard to change without a good reason. This position has probably hardened as a result of Mitchell. The issue…
THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHARTWELL 3: THE "LITIGATOR'S DILEMMA": DO YOU TAKE THE "MITCHELL" POINT?
This is the third in the series examining the practical consequences of the Chartwell decision. The first post looked at the importance of serving witness statements on time, the second at the effect on the criteria for reinstatement. Here we…
THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHARTWELL 2: OBTAINING RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS IS DIFFICULT BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE
The Court of Appeal decision in Chartwell –v- Fergies Properties has already been considered in detail. An earlier article dealt with the importance of serving witness statements on time. Here we consider the implications for the principles relating to granting…
THE CRITERIA TO BE APPLIED WHEN A PARTY MAKES AN APPLICATION AHEAD OF THE DATE OF THE BREACH: THE ROBERT CRITERIA CONSIDERED
In Kaneria -v- Kaneria [2014] EWHC 1165 (Ch) it was made clear that Mitchell principles did not apply in cases where an application was made prior to the date of breach. The principles in Robert -v- Momentum Services [2003] EWCA…
HAS PROPER DISCLOSURE BEEN GIVEN? A NEW AREA OF BATTLE. GLOBAL MARINE DRILLSHIPS LIMITED –V- WILLIAM LA BELLA [2014] EWHC 1230 (Ch) CONSIDERED
In the post Mitchell world parties are anxious to demonstrate that their opponents have not complied with orders of the court and, consequently, should have their actions struck out. These arguments are likely to be particularly problematic in issues relating…
RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS: WHAT DOES “TRIVIAL” ACTUALLY MEAN? A LOOK AT THE CASES
If you attend one of the, numerous, “Jackson” and “Mitchell” conferences that abound at the moment you can easily make the lecturer sweat. Ask them to define “trivial”. Whether a breach is “trivial” or not is crucial to the way…
A BUDGET SERVED A DAY LATE IS A “TRIVIAL” ERROR: WAIN –v- GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL [2014] EWHC 1274 (TCC) CONSIDERED
It was made clear in Mitchell that the courts should not concern themselves with “trivial” breaches, however what was meant by “trivial” was never defined. In Wain –v- Gloucestershire County Council Judge Grant, sitting as a judge of the High…
WHEN IS AN APPLICATION "MADE"? A MATTER THAT COULD BE OF SOME IMPORTANCE
The case of In Kaneria -v- Kaneria [2014] EWHC 1165 (Ch) discussed in a previous post means that there is a highly significant difference between applications made before the date of compliance and those made afterwards. An application made after the…
SURVIVING MITCHELL 17: MAKE ANY APPLICATION BEFORE DEFAULT AND OBTAIN REALISTIC DIRECTIONS
It is no coincidence that Rule 17 is identical to Rule 3. In fact I could easily, and without apology, repeat this principle as rules 10 – 20. If you cannot comply with a court order, direction or rule then…
MAKING AN APPLICATION BEFORE THE DATE OF DEFAULT SAVES THE DAY: KANERIA -v- KANERIA CONSIDERED
The Mitchell principles govern what happens when a party requires relief from sanctions. An open question remained as to the principles that apply when a party applies for an extension of time before the expiry of the date for compliance….
THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHARTWELL 1: JUST DON'T EVER SERVE WITNESS STATEMENTS LATE
It is highly dangerous for litigators to view the decision of the Court of Appeal in Chartwell -v- Fergies as any kind of step away from the Mitchell principles. The case has already been outlined in detail in an earlier post….
TWO CASES WHERE RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS REFUSED: (I) LATE WITNESS STATEMENTS (II) NO SCHEDULE OF COSTS
There are two cases reported on Lawtel this morning which exemplify problems of modern litigation and relief from sanctions. The first involves late service of a witness statement in a fatal accident case; the second the failure to file a…
SURVIVING MITCHELL 16: DEALING WITH "FISH FILES": OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION
A “fish file” is a file that has been left for so long it has started to smell. Consequently the litigator avoids it and it gets smellier and smellier. These files are always ripe. Ripe, that is, for problems to…
CAN MITCHELL BE UTILISED IF THERE ARE SEVERAL MINOR BREACHES? UTILISE -v- CRANSTOUN CONSIDERED: LATE FILING OF COSTS BUDGETS CAUSES ANOTHER PARTY TO COME TO GRIEF
In Utilise -v- Cranstoun [2014] EWHC 834 (Ch) Judge Hodge QC, sitting as a judge of the High Court, considered another issue arising out of the Mitchell criteria – in essence what is the effect of two trivial breaches on…
THE APPROPRIATE CRITERIA FOR REINSTATEMENT WHEN AN ACTION IS STRUCK OUT OF COURT'S OWN MOTION: HALEY -v- SIDDIQUE CONSIDERED
In Haley -v- Siddique [2014] EWHC 835 (Ch) Judge Hodge Q.C., sitting as a judge of the High Court, considered issues arising from a striking out order made of the court’s own motion. His judgment states that the case provides…
ACTION STRUCK OUT FOR FAILURE TO GIVE DISCLOSURE: RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS REFUSED
In Medical Supplies and Services Ltd -v- Acies & Gosling [2014] EWHC 1032 (QB) the claimant came to grief because of a failure to comply with a peremptory order for disclosure. Relief from sanctions was refused. It provides another object…
SURVIVING MITCHELL 15: SHARE THE PAIN
Most of the burden of complying with time periods and court orders lies with the solicitor. However a solicitor’s life can be made easier by making sure that all those concerned with the litigation process know of the deadlines involved…
REPORT OF A CASE WHERE RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS WAS GRANTED ON APPEAL TO CIRCUIT JUDGE
Reports of decisions in relation to procedure, particularly relief from sanctions, are always welcome. I am grateful to Simon Young of Kings Chambers for his report of the case of Cook -v- Danter. It is a case where a circuit…
WHAT THE JACKSON REPORT SAID 3: CASE MANAGEMENT AND EXTENSIONS OF TIME
Both Jackson reports considered that case management was closely allied with costs management. Here I want to look at two aspects – the need for a realistic timetable and agreements to extend time. DIRECTIONS MUST BE REALISTIC At 6.5 of…
ANOTHER CASE STRUCK OUT BECAUSE WITNESS STATEMENTS WERE SERVED LATE
I am grateful to Michael Ditchfield of Kings Chambers for his sending me details of a recent appeal where the Circuit Judge overturned a decision where, initially, relief from sanctions had been granted. This emphasises the point that, although the…
COURT OF APPEAL DISMISSES APPEAL AGAINST RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS BEING GRANTED IN CHARTWELL ESTATES CASE
Relief from sanctions was granted by Mr Justice Globe in the case of Chartwell Estates -v- Fergies and this has been discussed, at length, in earlier posts in this blog. The Court of Appeal dismissed the defendant’s appeal today. Reasons…
RELIEF FROM SANCTIONS CONSIDERED IN THE HIGH COURT AGAIN: MCTEAR CONSIDERED IN DETAIL
The case of McTear -v- Englehard [2014] EWHC 722 (Ch) was looked at briefly in an earlier post in relation to the number of cases cited to the Court. Here we look at the substantive decision in relation to applications…
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