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Corporate takeovers, restructuring exercises and the like routinely result in workers being transferred between employers. However, as an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruling showed, workers have a right to expect that such a move will not impact detrimentally on the terms and conditions of their ongoing employment. The case concerned…

When pursuing equal pay claims, it is vital to avoid the proverbial fallacy of seeking to compare apples with pears. In a test case ruling, however, the Supreme Court found that thousands of female supermarket workers who claim to have been paid less than men doing equivalent jobs did not…

When people go missing and are not heard from for years, there has to be a point where the law recognises that they have died. The High Court performed that sad task in the case of a much-loved young man who vanished without trace over 30 years ago whilst on…

Leaking of military secrets has the potential to benefit Britain’s enemies and to place services personnel and the general public in harm’s way. Such offences under the Official Secrets Acts are thankfully rare but, as a Court of Appeal ruling made plain, perpetrators can expect exemplary punishment. The case concerned…

Health and safety and licensing rules that apply to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are strict and landlords who fail to abide by them can expect stiff financial penalties. However, in an important decision, the Upper Tribunal (UT) found that the landlords of three HMOs were effectively criminalised without a…

Damages awards to clinical negligence victims may appear very large, but they are no more than is needed to pay for a lifetime of care. In one case, a happy, smiley and giggly little girl who suffered injuries of maximum severity during her birth received an NHS compensation package worth…

Those who, by their conduct, show themselves unfit to hold office as company directors can be disqualified from doing so. Following a High Court ruling in an important test case, the same rule will apply to all members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs), whatever their level of seniority. The case…

The ins and outs of will disputes often resemble the plot of an Agatha Christie novel and require judges to fully deploy their little grey cells in uncovering the truth. That was certainly so in a case concerning the surprise discovery of a purported will more than 10 years after…

Should religious and other organisations be required to take legal responsibility for abuse of power on the part of their leaders? The Court of Appeal considered that burning issue in the case of a young woman who was raped by an elder of the religious congregation of which she formed…

Books and films are replete with fictional tales of innocent people being misidentified and convicted of serious crimes. Such events are, in the real world, extremely rare but, as a Court of Appeal ruling showed, they are always possible. The case concerned a troubled young man who was found guilty…