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30 October 2008
Issue: 7343 / Categories: Case law , Law digest , Personal injury , In Court
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Personal injury

Ellis v Environment Agency [2008] EWCA Civ 1117, [2008] All ER (D) 163 (Oct)

A claimant who satisfies the “but-for” test does not have to prove also that the defendant’s negligence was the only, or chronologically the last, cause of his injuries. The normal rule for causation in personal injury negligence cases is the but for rule.

The principles established in Holtby v Brigham & Cowan (Hull) Ltd [2000] 3 All ER 421 and Allen v British Rail Engineering Ltd [2001] All ER (D) 291 (Feb) are an exception to the general rule, limited to industrial disease or injury cases where there has been successive exposure to harm by a number of agencies, where the effect of the harm is divisible, and where it would be unjust for an individual defendant to bear the whole of a loss when in commonsense he was not responsible for all of it.

Issue: 7343 / Categories: Case law , Law digest , Personal injury , In Court
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joins corporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

NEWS
Serial sperm donor Robert Albon has lost his bid for a declaration of paternity, ‘on the ground that to grant it would manifestly be contrary to public policy’
The government is considering wholesale reform of consumer class actions—the ‘opt-out’ collective claims certified by the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT)
A ‘sophisticated suspected fraud’ may have taken place at PM Law involving the improper removal and misuse of about £39.5m of client funds, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will invest in technology to catch tech-reliant fraudsters and handle voluminous case materials
Law firms enjoyed rapid growth in 2025, according to a Financial Benchmarking Survey, published by the Law Society last week
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