Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a group of leaseholders were not responsible for the cost of repairs if those repairs also made good fundamental structural defects in their properties. The leases related to flats situated in a large block constructed in 1957. They were for 125-year terms and were originally granted under the
A commercial landlord has won a dispute over unpaid rent of more than £166,000 despite the tenant citing Covid-19 as the reason for its failure to pay. The case involved Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft MBH and TFS Stores Ltd. Commerz was the leasehold owner of the Westfield Shopping Centre. TFS was the tenant of one of
A firm’s equality and diversity training has been dismissed by the Employment Appeal Tribunal as stale and ineffective against preventing harassment. The case involved Allay (UK) Ltd and Mr S Gehlen, who was of Indian origin. Mr Gehlen had been dismissed due to his performance. Following his dismissal, he complained that a work colleague had
A bus driver who knocked down a cyclist after he made obscene gestures towards him has lost his claim of unfair dismissal. Sam Beech had worked for Lothian Buses for 11 years until he was dismissed in September 2019 for gross misconduct. It all hinged on an incident when Beech was moving away from a
A bank worker has won his claim of unfair dismissal after he was made redundant following the breakdown of his relationship with his bosses. Joynal Choudhury had worked for Gatehouse Bank since 2015 and took on a new role as head of real estate in March 2018. He immediately suffered a strained relationship with his
The Court of Appeal has confirmed that an employer could be justified in not re-engaging an unfairly dismissed employee if it had a rational belief that he could not carry out the duties required in a new role or if there had been a genuine breakdown of trust. The case involved Mr Scott Kelly, who
The Court of Appeal has reiterated that domestic abuse could mean far more than just violence and included behaviour that could affect the welfare of children even if they were not the direct victims. The issue arose in four conjoined appeals involving allegations of domestic abuse by one parent against the other. In giving judgments,
The High Court has provided some useful guidelines on what is required for a person’s statements to be legally classed as ‘deathbed gifts’ in inheritance cases. The court was asked to determine the proper distribution of the estate of a married couple. The wife died in January 2019 of cancer and the husband died of
Separating couples wills soon be able to apply for £500 vouchers to pay for mediation to help them settle disputes without having to go to court. Mediation is often a quicker and cheaper way of resolving disputes, which can spare families the trauma of attending court and the impact this can have on children. It
A construction company was entitled to immediate payment of £1m that it had been awarded by an adjudicator following a contract dispute. That was the decision of the Technology & Construction Court in a case involving Quadro Services Ltd and FP McCann Ltd The issue arose after McCann had been engaged to construct buildings for