Damages

Where fresh evidence was adduced in the Court of Appeal tending to show that the judge at first instance had been deliberately misled, that court would only allow the appeal and order a re-trial where the fraud was either admitted or the evidence was incontrovertible. In any other case the issue of fraud had to be determined before a judgment of a court of first instance could be set aside.

The normal rule in accident cases was that the sum of damages fell to be assessed once and for all at the time of the hearing, if further evidence as to new events was too easily admitted there would be no finality in litigation. The need for finality was a well established principle in English law, however exceptions arose where justice conflicted with that principle. The first exception was the power of the court to review fresh evidence if certain conditions were fulfilled.

The second exception arose in the context of a challenge to an