NOTABLE CASES
Search Notable Cases Thursday, 23rd February 2012
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Ashley Serr successfully acted for the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills who intervened in the case.

In Key2Law (Surrey) LLP v De’Antiquis the Court of Appeal has held that companies in administration are not exempted from TUPE.
 
The Court approved the EAT’s approach in set out in OTG v Barke to Reg 8(7) of the TUPE Regulations 2006, which disapplies TUPE protection for certain kinds of insolvency proceedings. It preferred to lay down a general rule that administrations do not trigger Reg 8(7). Lord Justice Rimer, giving the fullest judgment, thought it would be unsatisfactory if the triggering of Reg 8(7) depended on the evidence leading up to the appointment of the administrator. Such an analysis might well produce an uncertain picture as to the objective intended. He also considered that such an approach would not accord with the reality of the administration scheme, under which all options are open to an administrator– the administrator’s objective may change and the original intention may never be realised. Given this range of possibilities open to the administrator upon the making of an administration order, it could not be said that such an appointment is made ‘with a view’ to the liquidation of the company’s assets. That may be what happens in practice, and it may in many cases be apparent from the outset that that is what is going to happen, but it is not always so. Rimer LJ therefore agreed with the EAT's preference for an ‘absolute’ approach, which, as the EAT pointed out, has the merit of legal certainty

Gibson v Sheffield City Council: The Supreme Court’s chance to clarify the defences available to mass equal pay claims - Equal Pay.

Dominic Bayne - Comment.

Dominic Bayne continues to act for Sheffield City Council.  He will report again once the Supreme Court has delivered its judgment.

Huscroft v P & O Ferries Ltd [2010] EWCA Civ 1483. The Court's general power to make case management orders subject to conditions - CPR 3.1(3) - Andrew Crouch.

comment and judgement - click here

North Yorkshire County Council v B [2008] 1 FLR 1645 (ruling out mother despite outstanding assessments of family members), Re B, C and D Children [2010] 2 FLR forthcoming, [2010] EWHC 262 (Fam) (publicity in care proceedings).

B,C and D Children [2010] EWCH 262 -
Case concerning publicity in care proceedings.

Henderson -v- Wakefield Shirt Company [1977] PIQR P413, CA
Scope of duty of care for employer.

Ballantyne -v- Newalls Insulation Co. Ltd [2000] PIQR Q327, CA
Deductability of payments under Pneumoconiosis Act.

B (A child) -v- South Tyneside MBC [2002] PIQR P107, CA
Effect of damages on means assessed benefits.

D -v- South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust [2004] PIQR P.12
Standard of care owed to a psychiatric patient by a trust.

Flynn -v- Scougall [2004] 3 All ER 609
Practical effect of acceptance of payment into court.

X NHS Trust -v- J [2006] Lloyds Reports Med P.151
Payments of costs of official solicitor by NHS Trust.

Dowson -v- Sunderland H.A. [2004] Lloyds Law Rep. Med 177
Cerebral Palsy alleged to have risen consequent upon cerebral infarct.

Georgina Cottingham v Avon Gloucestershire & Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority, 15th May 2008, Bristol High Court.
An award was approved in favour of the Claimant at a conventional vaule of £5.6 million. This included an award by periodical payments of £140,000 per annum to provide for her future care and case management needs. Case demonstrates Mr Wilby QC's cutting edge involvement in cases involving indexation of periodical payments.

Dr C Gopakumar v General Medical Council [2008] EWCA Civ 309; CA (Civ Div) 9/4/2008; All ER (D) 113 (Apr) ; Telegraph 16th April 2008 
The role of a Legal Assessor before a Fitness to Practise Panel in respect of a GP was not analogous to the directions that a criminal judge would give to a jury.

King v. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions [2003] EWCA Civ 730, JPIL (2003) C141
 
Judge had erred in finding that the design of a roundabout and its approaches was a cause of an accident where a motorcyclist ran into the island in the centre of the roundabout.

Chittock v. Woodbridge School [2002] - Levison J, QB, RCJ, PIQR P34, (2003) PIQR P81 CA
Skiing accident to pupil when on school trip to Austria. Liability found against school. Counsel for Claimant.

Chittock v. Woodbridge School [2002] - Auld L J, CA, - 2003 PIQR
First instance decision reversed on appeal, but Court of Appeal accepts Claimant's submissions as to the nature and extent of school and school teachers' obligations and supervisory duties in respect of out of school activities.

King v. DOETR- QB, RCJ, May 2002
Liability of Highway Authority in tort for design and construction of dangerous road. Primary liability in favour of Claimant and finding of contributory negligence against Claimant in respect of motorcycle accident. Liability of Defendant for design and construction of motorway slip road which resulted in Claimant travelling too fast towards a roundabout and suffering severe injuries as a consequence of collision with roundabout. Recorder appeal, June 2003, [2003] EWCA Civ 730

Wainwright v. Home Office [2002] 1 WLR 405 CA
Woolf LCJ, Mummery and Buxton LJJ – House of Lords 16th October 2003, [2003] UK HL 53 - Tort of privacy, Wilkinson v. Downton, ss.3 and 6, Human Rights Act.
Permission to appeal to House of Lords granted by Court of Appeal - permission for a petition lodged June 2002. Decided 16th October 2003 [2003] UK HL 53. 

McQuade v. Chief Constable of Humberside Police [2001] - EWCA, Civ 1300, (2002) 1 WLR 1347
It is not a necessary ingredient of breach of the peace at common law and private premises that there be some disturbance to members of the public off the premises. Counsel for Humbershide Police.

Cumming v. Chief Constable of Northumbrian Police (2003) EWCA Civ
Conduct of arrest by police where five of the six suspects arrested must be innocent and are of good character - five members of Unison employed in local authority CCTV duties.

Ramsden v. Lee [1992] 2 All ER 205 CA
Section 33 Limitation Act 1980.

M v. Leeds Health Authority [2002] PIQR Q4 21 and Kemp & Kemp - Sullivan J, QB Leeds, May 2001
Severe brain injury, physical and cognitive disability. Latest case on interpretation of Roberts v. Johnson in respect of accomodation claims. Award - £3.65m.

McLoughlin v. Grovers (a firm) - Brooke and Hal LJJ and Steele J, CA [2002] PNLR 21, 2002 QB 1312, 2002 2 WLR 1279 - 2001 EWCA Civ, 1743
Foreseeability of psychiatric illness caused by solicitor's negligence in conduct of litigation.

Scott v. Wakefield Health Authority [1997] 8 Med LR 341 CA
Medical negligence - blindness - issue of tertiary referral. 

Re Port (a bankrupt) [1994] 1 WLR 862
Striking out in bankruptcy.

Dunn v. South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust [2004] P.I.Q.R. P12 CA
Clinical Liability in respect of Section 3 Mental Health Act. Patient from mental ward resulting in overdose and severe disability.

Other Notable Cases:
He was one of the main Counsel in the claims arising out of the Bradford City Football fire and Sowerby Bridge lorry disaster. He was Junior Counsel for the Defence for the Travellers Coach Co and its directors in the M2 motorway crash case. He has acted in a number of aviation accidents and was recently instructed in the fatal accidents claim by the widow of an Air Force Officer who was killed on a joint exercise with the German Air Force at Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada.

Legal Services Commission v Rasool [2008] All ER (D) 43 (Mar); [2008] WLR (D) 75; The Times 21st April 2008
Limitation case concerning an action to recover costs under a revoked legal aid certificate. 

Catholic Care and Home Office v Young [2007] All ER 895
Limitation in case of historic sex abuse.

Bright BJ (a minor by her father and litigation friend Peter Bright) v Barnsley District General Hospital NHS Trust [2005] Lloyds Rep Med 449 ; LTL/31/1/06
Cerebral palsy caused by profound hypoxia at 36 weeks. Failure to diagnose IUGR.

Dowson v Sunderland H.A. [2004] Lloyds Law Rep. Med 177 S
Cerebral palsy alleged to have arisen consequent upon cerebral infarct.

Re X Trust [2002]
Wrongful insemination of a mother with another man’s sperm.

AB V National Blood Transfusion Serivce [2001] 3 ALL ER
Hepatitis C Transfusion Litigation.

Palmer v Marks and Spencer PLC [2001] EWCA Civ 1328
Application of Work Place Regulations to minor tripping hazard.

Schofield v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [1998] 1C.R. 193
Nervous shock sustained by policewoman following firearms discharge.

Swain v Puri [1996] P.I.Q.R. p442
Child trespasser and the ambit of 1984 Occupiers Liability Act.

Hepworth v Kerr [1995] Med LR 135 & 139
Damage sustained under hypotensive anesthesia.

National Rivers Authority v Yorkshire Water [1995] 1 All ER 25 (HL) [1995] A.C. 444
Liability of statutory body for escape of sewage caused by act of third party.

Diboll v City of Newcastle Upon Tyne [1993] P.I.Q.R. P2
Apportionment between Defendants – principles upon which appellate court intervenes.

Thompson v Smiths Ship repairers [1984] 1 ALL ER 881
Leading authority on Industrial Deafness.

Saunders v Leeds Western Health Authority [1984] 129 Sol Jo 225
Res ipsa application to anaesthetic mishap.

British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation
Joint leading Counsel for Claimants in the longest ever personal injury case leading to settlement for 80,000 + Claimants.

Binks v Securicor Omega [2003] 1 WLR 2557
Where the trail judge’s refusal to allow an amendments of the particulars of claim at the end of the hearing was overturned, the court eventually finding for the claimant.

Taylor v Ashwood Development – Current Law [2003]
Human rights Act and the use of video evidence in personal injury cases.

Black v Doncaster MBC [1998] 3 AER 631
A decision concerning whether a payment into court should be allowed to be withdrawn when it had been affected by a substantial change in circumstances.

Armstrong v Scarborough H.A. – Kemp C2-059 – 5th January 1999
Damages for penetrating brain injry causing grand mal epilepsy. Provisional damages.
He is currently instructed in the Selby Rail crash personal injury litigation on behalf of the insurers of Gary Hart.

Bailey -v- Warren [2006] EWCA Civ 51 The Times, 20 February 2006 ; [2005] PIQR p15 (Holland J)
The leading case on the capacity of a brain damaged adult to compromise liability and the court's discretion to ex post facto validate an agreement with a patient.

Halsey v Milton Keynes NHS Trust [2004] 1 WLR 3002
The leading case of mediation.

Beck v Ministry of Defence [2004] 1 PIQR P1
Changing expert witnesses

Hatton v Sutherland [2002] 2 All ER1
Stress at work – the leading case

D & D v Donald [2001] PIQR Q5
Fatal Accident – impact of marital infidelity on multiplier

Clarke v Kato [1998] 1 WLR 1647 (HL)
Whether a car park is a ‘road’ for the prposes of Road Traffic Act liaiblity

Liddell v Middleton [1996] PIQR 36
Expert witness admissibility

Hill v Bruce [1995] PIQR 300
Causation of damage – contributory negigence

Roebuck v Mungovin [1994] 2 AC 224
Strike out for want of prosecution

Dale v British Coal Corp [1992] 1 WLR 964
Sect 33 Limitation Act - whether leave to appeal is required
Bright BJ (a minor by her father and litigation friend Peter Bright) v Barnsley District General Hospital NHS Trust [2005]
Lloyds Rep Med 449 ; LTL/31/1/06

Re X Trust [2002]
Wrongful insemination of a mother with another man’s sperm.

Laycock v Lago [1997] PI
Case which sets the principles to be applied in whether or not it is reasonable for a claimant to refuse to undergo medical tests)
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