A former senior diplomat has won £320,000 compensation from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) after the High Court ruled that he was unjustifiably removed from his prestigious overseas posting on the basis of an unfounded allegation. The FCO agreed to pay that sum in
In a ruling that underlines that even the smallest business can succeed in protecting its intellectual property rights, a modest skin care company has triumphed in a passing off claim against much larger rivals who used the same name to market their nail care products.
In balancing rights of peaceful protest against a retailer’s entitlement to operate free from trespass, nuisance and harassment, the High Court has stepped in to further limit the activities of anti-fur trade protestors in the vicinity of the Harrods department store. Members of the Coalition
The tenants held five flats on long leases from the landlord and were required to contribute to their upkeep. When the landlord wished to undertake substantial works on the flats, a consultation process was triggered, requiring the landlord to provide information about the proposed works
In a case which underlines the potentially serious consequences of delay in seeking legal redress, an asbestos management contractor which claimed it was wrongly directed to pay more than £650,000 by an adjudicator left it too late to challenge the decision. The company had been
In an important ruling for the farming community and tax professionals, the Upper Tribunal (UT) has granted agricultural property inheritance tax relief in respect of a farmhouse even though the building and the land associated with it were not in common ownership at the time
In a serious blow to non-profit-making private members organisations, a small social club has failed to convince the First-Tier Tribunal that an electronic lottery machine that its members enjoyed for three years was exempt from Amusement Machine Licensing Duty (AMLD). Despite recognising that developments in
In a decision which is likely to result in substantial savings for housing estate landlords, the Upper Tribunal (UT) has ruled that a concierge room within the curtilage (the legal term for a property as a whole)of a residential development is exempt from non-domestic rates. Notwithstanding
In an important ruling which distinguished religious vocation from employment, the Supreme Court has ruled by a majority that a Methodist minister who submitted to the church’s discipline for life was not an employee and was thus precluded from making an unfair dismissal claim. In
An artificial tax-avoidance scheme that involved selling shares at massive ‘paper losses’, which would have led to 400 wealthy people saving an average of nearly £1/2 million each in tax, has been defeated by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The scheme involved buying shares at
