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…
Software Engineer Receives Eight-Year Jail Term for Leaking Military Secrets
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…
Missing Backpacker’s Tireless Mother Granted Declaration of Death
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…
35,000 Supermarket Workers Strike Important Blow in Equal Pay Dispute
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…
Happy, Smiley Birth Injuries Girl Receives Seven-Figure NHS Compensation
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…
Residential Landlords Effectively Criminalised Without a Fair Hearing
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…
All LLP Members are Potentially Liable to Disqualification – Test Case Ruling
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…
Judicial Little Grey Cells Exercised to the Full in Unusual Will Dispute
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…
Woman Assaulted by Religious Elder Wins Compensation in Test Case Ruling
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…
Odour Concerns Lead to Quashing of Chicken Farm Planning Permission
Countryside dwellers understand that farming can be a smelly business. However, as a High Court case showed, the impact of odour on people’s enjoyment of their homes is an important environmental factor that local planning authorities are obliged to take into account. The case concerned a company’s proposal for an…