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26 September 2025
Issue: 8132 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 26 September 2025

Compensation

Stephenson (by his Deputy and litigation friend, Victoria Treacy) v First-Tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) [2025] EWCA Civ 1160

The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, dismissed the appellant’s, Dominic Stephenson’s, appeal concerning the interpretation and application of para 42(b) of the 2001 Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The court held that Dominic Stephenson’s need for accommodation adaptations and related costs for the Court of Protection were attributable to his pre-existing conditions rather than the manslaughter of his mother. The court ruled that such costs were not compensable under ‘other resultant losses’ in para 42(b), as they did not result from the loss of parental services caused by the crime. Additionally, the interpretation that these losses must directly result from the loss of parental services was upheld without any error of law in the previous tribunals’ judgments.


Costs

Reeves v Frain (aka Simon Kevin Reeves aka Bill Reeves) and another [2025] EWHC 2311 (KB)

The King’s Bench Division ruled on a costs appeal concerning the enforceability of two damages-based agreements

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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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