Trust and confidence are central to any employment relationship, as a case involving a nurse who claimed to have been subjected to a course of bullying and harassment in the workplace showed when she triumphed in an unfair constructive dismissal claim. The senior nurse had fulfilled a teaching role at a leading hospice which employed 270 people....
Property Developer’s Bankruptcy is no Private Matter
In a ruling which underlines that bankruptcy is not a private matter that can be kept from the public gaze, a newspaper has been granted permission to view and report the contents of the court file in respect of a property developer who is said to have run up debts of €1.5 billion in the Irish property meltdown. Once one of the richest men in...
Pre-Emptive Injunction Blocks Gypsies Threat
In an unusual case which revealed the High Court’s power to guard against wrongful acts – even before they happen – a temporary injunction was granted on the basis of little more than a rumour that gypsy families were preparing to move onto a green belt site. The land had been the subject of a recently refused planning application for...
Car Sales Group Triumphs Over Taxman in VAT Dispute
In a ruling which vividly reveals that tax reduction schemes can be both lawful and highly effective, a car sales group that was issued with very substantial demands for back-tax and penalties in respect of complex arrangements designed to minimise VAT liabilities on the sale of second hand vehicles has scored a triumph over Her Majesty’s Revenue and...
Court Guidance on Liquidators Data Protection Duties
In a test case which gives important guidance on the inter-relationship between the Data Protection Act 1998 (the DPA) and the winding-up of insolvent companies, the High Court has ruled that liquidators are not to be viewed as ‘data controllers’ and are under no personal duty to respond to requests for information. A loans company had gone...