* The following jury cases are listed to be heard in the High Court Queen’s Bench Division in April: Ardmore Construction and Others v MGN L and Others (not before 10 April); Straton-James v MGN (not before 25 April); Bookbinder v Times Newspapers and Others (not before 25 April); Monson and Another v The Sunday […]
* The Law Lords have now given leave for Gerard O’Hara, who was arrested by the RUC in December 1985 under the 1984 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act to appeal against Northern Ireland High and Appeal Court decisions rejecting his claims for damages for false imprisonment on the basis of unlawful arrest.
Andrew Carruthers The growth of pensions disputes continues unabated. It leads to an understandable worry about costs and delay, although the originating summons procedures in RSC 0.28 provide a flexible litigation system, commended recently to Lord Woolf. Nevertheless, it has rivals. There are attempts to encourage specialist alternative dispute resolution; will solicitors support this? More […]
London’s Cafe Royal is being sued for damages by a 70-year-old woman who fell off a platform there during a gala evening. Eira Pazzi-Axworthy, of St Albans, has issued a writ against Perry’s Catering of London N16. She was injured on 6 December 1992, as she went to leave the raised platform where she had […]
An in-house legal team has been appointed at GMG Brands, the working title for the merged entity of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness. Roger Myddelton, group legal director and company secretary at GrandMet, becomes company secretary at GMG. Ken Mildwaters, director of legal services at Guinness, becomes general counsel and group legal director. Dave Scott, general […]
Portsmouth company Eco Euro is being sued by the Commissioners of Customs & Excise following the seizure of more than 11 million cigarettes. The writ says the cigarettes were seized because of false documents which named a consignee who did not exist and stated that the destination for the cigarettes was Morocco. Customs & Excise […]
Law firms are chasing substantial business as the demand for project finance increases reports Mary Heaney While law firms have seen no great increase in the amount of asset financing transactions, domestic and international project finance work has escalated. “There’s huge developments, particularly in electricity in Asia and high speed train networks in Europe,” according […]
* The legal implications of glue sniffing will come under the House of Lords in the case of Regina v Morhall. In an appeal from the Court of Criminal Appeal the Law Lords are to be asked whether chronic addiction to glue-sniffing should be referred to by a trial judge as “a special characteristic” when […]
WILDE Sapte’s first full-time managing partner is retiring from the partnership to apply his management skills to a consultancy firm. Philip Brown became management partner at the City firm in 1988 and stood down last year to make way for Steven Blakeley. Brown, who is currently on sabbatical, was unavailable for comment. He will join […]
The latest issue on litigation costs is to suggest that law firms are liable to pay the other sides’ costs if their client fails to pay the successful party’s costs. The argument arises out of the old and little-known torts of maintenance and champetry. Maintenance makes it unlawful for a third party, who has no […]
The niece of a man who died in March 1991 faces High Court action to make her repay over u49,000. David Thorp, personal representative of the late Robert Jones, has issued a writ against Mr Jones’ niece, Joan Jones of Caernarfon, and Elizabeth Ellis of Bethel. Ms Jones became her uncle’s attorney before his death […]
Roger Pearson looks at the first piece of major lottery litigation SIB The High Court’s Family Division is set for the first major lottery litigation. Mukhtar Mohidin, who won £18 million on the lottery, is now locked in dispute with his wife Sayeeda over who gets the money. Mr Mohidin, 40, one-time Blackburn factory worker, […]