In a ruling which gives useful guidance on the interpretation of a standard term incorporated into many grain shipping contracts, the High Court has rejected a seller’s plea that it was excused from performing its contractual obligations by difficulties it encountered with officialdom at the
Investors who lost billions of pounds when Northern Rock was nationalised to save the banking system from collapse will go without a penny in compensation after the Court of Appeal ruled by a majority that their shareholdings were justifiably valued at nil on the basis
A businessman has succeeded in overturning a £500,000 VAT assessment on the basis that it was issued outside the three-year time limit set out in section 80(4) of the VAT Act 1994. In ruling on the case, the First-Tier tribunal gave useful guidance on the
The dangers of downloading and making use of apparently ‘free’ photographs and other potentially copyright material from the internet have been amply illustrated by a case in which a professional photographer sued a nightclub that used one of his exclusive celebrity snaps in its marketing
In a case where a flat tenant objected to being charged for gas supplies up to seven years in arrears, the High Court has ruled that, on a correct interpretation of section 20B of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, utility costs are ‘incurred’ not
A village campaign group has triumphed in its High Court fight to block plans for a lorry park and industrial units close to a river which is home to rare flora and fauna and is recognised as a site of special scientific interest. The court
In the context of a planning dispute in respect of the unauthorised conversion of a single dwelling house into three self-contained flats, the High Court has emphasised that enforcement notices must demand no more than the minimum action required to ensure compliance with planning control.
A former senior diplomat has won the right to substantial government compensation after the High Court ruled that he was unjustifiably removed from his prestigious overseas posting on the basis of an unfounded allegation that he touched the rear of a local politician’s wife. The
In a ruling of great financial significance to the gambling and racing industries, the Court of Appeal has ruled that sophisticated customers of Betfair and other online betting exchanges do not fit the definition of ‘bookmaker’ within section 55 of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries
Apartment owners who complained of ‘excessively bouncy’ floors, smelly drains and sound insulation so poor that they can hear their neighbours’ footsteps have won more than £800,000 compensation from the developers of the residential block and the property agents who supervised its construction. One flat
