The dark side of Mitchell (Pt 2)

In the first article of this series, we submitted that despite the decision in Mitchell v News Group Newspapers [2013] EWCA Civ 1537, [2014] 2 All ER 430, care must be taken to ensure that form does not triumph over substance in civil proceedings. We speculated that Summit Navigation Ltd v Generali Romania Asigurare [2014] EWHC 398 (Comm), [2014] All ER (D) 202 (Feb) may temper the Mitchell ruling, and in fact, since our publication, the New Law Journal has reported a further decision on a trio of cases handed down on 4 July, purportedly returning us to a pre-Mitchell era, with the court stepping back from the strict interpretation of the Mitchell ruling (see Denton v TH White Ltd & Anr; Decadent Vapours Ltd v Bevan & Ors; Utilise TDS Ltd v Davies [2014]