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13 January 2021
Issue: 7916 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 15 January 2021

Defamation

Sadler v Joyner and another [2020] EWHC 3325 (QB), [2020] All ER (D) 28 (Dec)

The claimant, a senior solicitor, brought a libel claim against the defendants, concerning statements included in a press release issued by the second defendant company and posted on a website. The Queen’s Bench Division ruled on the meaning of the statements complained of and held that they were defamatory of the claimant at common law, and that the first three statements complained of were statements of fact, while the fourth statement complained of was a statement of opinion.


Employment

Kaler v Insights ESC Ltd UKEAT/0051/20/BA, [2020] All ER (D) 75 (Sep)

The appellant employee had commenced proceedings against the respondent employer claiming, among other things, disability discrimination. The tribunal had dismissed that claim on the basis that she had not met the definition of disability at the relevant time. Shortly after the tribunal hearing, she was unexpectedly seen by a newly appointed clinical psychologist and was diagnosed with Autism. In those circumstances, the Employment Appeal Tribunal

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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