Many thousands of holiday homes are subject to planning restrictions that forbid their occupation all the year round or as principal residences. Such rules are sometimes taken with a pinch of salt by their owners, but a Court of Appeal ruling showed that they must
Companies in which no one has a controlling interest can easily become deadlocked if shareholders fall out. However, judges have a range of powers to bring such paralysis to an end and enable all concerned to move on with their lives. One High Court case
In a resounding decision that emphasised the right of everyone to have affordable access to the justice system, the much criticised fees levied on complainants by the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal have been struck down as unlawful by the Supreme Court. The
Construction contracts can go horribly wrong, but few can have been as disastrous as one prestige office development which culminated in giant panes of glass falling into the street, putting the lives of passers-by at risk. The events triggered a storm of damaging national publicity
Judgments given in one EU member state are generally enforceable in all the others, but there are exceptions. One such arose in the case of a three-year-old girl who was removed from Ireland and taken to England by her mother without notice of the move
Whistleblowers perform a public service and the consequences of penalising them for their activities can be severe. In one case, two police officers who were removed from undercover duties after they made repeated and serious complaints about the management of their unit were awarded a
Judges are bent on giving every case fair consideration and only very sparingly use their powers to strike out unmeritorious claims without a full hearing. That point was clearly made by one case in which a businessman claimed that a bank had lured him into
Professionals are rightly exposed to compensation claims if they give negligent advice – but they are not whipping boys who can be blamed for the faults of others. The point was resoundingly made by one case in which a quantity surveying firm comprehensively defeated a bank’s
The departure of trusted workers who set up in competition is a frequent source of fury to employers. However, as one High Court libel case showed, the sensible course is to take legal advice rather than resort to hasty action. The case concerned two men
The presumption in favour of sustainable housing development, contained within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), is a powerful one – but it does not have the force of statute and can be overcome. The Court of Appeal made that point in blocking plans for
