A manager at home furnishings retailer Laura Ashley was discriminated against because of her disability after her employers refused to change her shift patterns. That was the ruling of the Employment Tribunal in a case involving sales manager Avril Iles. Iles worked at the company from February 2015 until she resigned in August 2018. She
People who were overcharged when arranging deputyships over a seven-year period can now claim refunds. It’s thought the average pay-out could be £240. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) sets the level of fees for the appointment of deputies, who help people that lose the capacity to manage their financial and welfare interests. The Office of
The High Court has granted a special order enabling a man to take legal action against his brothers in a family dispute over their father’s will. The case involved Satbir Singh Dhillon and his brothers, who were executors and trustees of the will. Dhillon sought a declaration that £532,875 had been removed from the father’s
A family have succeeded in correcting an error in a trust fund that would have resulted in a tax bill of £112,000. The case involved a discretionary trust created in 2011 in respect of the estate of a man who had died in November 2010. A beneficiary of his will was entitled to £250,000 from
A farmer has won her claim against a mortgage lender over commission paid to her broker without her knowledge. The case involved Frances Elizabeth Wood and Commercial First Business Ltd (In Liquidation). In 2007, Wood applied through a broker, UKMFS, for a mortgage from Commercial First Business to buy a farm. She said she did
A husband has failed to prevent a property held in his mother’s name being included in his wife’s divorce settlement. The couple had married in 2002 but separated in 2014, having lived in rented property throughout their marriage. The wife issued financial remedy proceedings and by the time of trial, a property in Panama was
The government has issued a comprehensive guide on How to buy a home. The guide focuses on freehold properties and will be particularly useful to first time buyers. It takes you through the various stages of the process, beginning with how to work out how much you can afford. It also looks at the various
More than 170,000 new homes were built in the year to June, an 8% increase compared with the previous 12 months and the highest number for 11 years. The same period also saw the proportion of family houses being built increase to 78% of all the new dwellings – the highest since 2000. The figures
A mother who wrongfully removed her three children from their father without his consent has been ordered to return them to him in Germany. The case involved a German couple were married in 2005 and divorced in 2012. They had joint custody of the children, with the mother as primary carer and the father having
It has been reported that in at least 60% of cases brought before the Family Court consist of an element of domestic violence, with the majority of incidents being directed by men against women. The government defines domestic violence as “Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse