What happens to a company’s leasehold property interests if it becomes insolvent? In an important case, the High Court has tackled that issue in relation to a troubled restaurant chain and one of its flagship branches in Central London. The company which ran the chain
A civilian police worker whose claims of psychiatric disability were disbelieved by her bosses, and who was sacked on the basis of vague allegations, has won the right to substantial compensation for the mistreatment she endured. The woman had worked in a police force’s finance
The trouble with oral contracts, agreed without taking legal advice, is that their terms, and even their existence, may later be disputed. Exactly that happened in one case in which an interior designer had to resort to legal action in order to be paid in
In whistleblowing cases, the employee’s state of mind is the decisive factor and that was certainly so in the case of a college lecturer who was dismissed after being accused of making groundless allegations against a colleague. The lecturer faced criticism of her performance on
Title deeds to land can often contain traps that only a professional conveyancer is trained to spot. In one case which proved the point, development restrictions which dated back more than 50 years almost defeated a woman’s plans to build a new house in the
Many of Britain’s largest occupational pension schemes are burdened by crushing deficits and that provided the backdrop to a High Court case which exposed the rising tension between an international airline, its former employees and independent trustees who represent the latter’s interests. The airline’s pension
In a decision of interest to property professionals and commercial tenants, a tribunal has ruled that a shop which was only accessible by a steep flight of steps from the street was nevertheless on the ground floor for the purposes of calculating non-domestic rates bills
Damages awards for breach of contract are not calculated in accordance with arcane formulae by modern judges, who adhere to the principle that compensation should reflect losses actually suffered. That was certainly so in one case in which ship owners won more than $1.2 million
A whistleblowing solicitor who resigned after she was dressed down in front of colleagues and her performance inappropriately criticised has won the right to compensation after a tribunal ruled that she was constructively dismissed unfairly. The woman had blown the whistle in respect of aspects
In a striking case which shows that even tax deadlines can occasionally give way to compassionate circumstances, a construction company succeeded in overturning a substantial penalty imposed for a two-day delay in paying its VAT bill. The company had relied upon an accountant to prepare
