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14 March 2019 / Vijay Ganapathy
Issue: 7832 / Categories: Features , Personal injury , Procedure & practice
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Getting it right by playing by the rules

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Vijay Ganapathy provides an update on the importance of procedure and practice in and out of court
  • Applying the three-stage test in Denton v White.
  • Should a defendant be allowed to rely on statistical life expectancy expert evidence?
  • Carey v Vauxhall Motors Limited—the first English court decision in a secondary exposure case.

So far this year we have seen the courts addressing a variety of issues. Starting with procedure, an issue that keeps coming back to the courts for consideration is the sanctions that ought to be applied when a party fails to comply with court orders, rules or practice directions.

Denton v TH White Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 906, [2015] 1 All ER 880 sets out the three-stage test for considering when such a party should be granted relief from sanctions. This test requires consideration of the following: the ‘seriousness or significance’ of the breach; whether a ‘good reason’ has been demonstrated for this; and ‘all the circumstances of the case’, which in

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: Mazur and more—inside the litigation frontline

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

NLJ this week: Social media bans for children spark legal dilemmas
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
NLJ this week: Leasehold reform risks creating ‘forgotten freeholders’
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
NLJ this week: Court of Appeal clarifies when a claim truly begins
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
NLJ this week: Split FDRs could ease pressure—and boost settlements
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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