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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

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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