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14 May 2021
Issue: 7932 / Categories: Legal News , Tax , International justice
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NLJ this week: Danes thwarted in mega tax scandal litigation

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Behemoth case SKAT, brought by the Danish tax authorities in hot pursuit of £1.5bn lost in alleged dividend tax fraud, was one of the biggest civil litigation claims to come before the English courts, writes Rosenblatt senior associate Nick Leigh in this week’s NLJ.

The Danish state was this week ordered to pay the defendants indemnity costs, in a judgment that did not shy from criticising the ferocity of the claimant’s pursuit. Last month, the Danes lost the case. More than 100 defendants were involved and the trial was anticipated to last a year. The alleged fraud has been a high-profile scandal in the Danish media.

Mr Justice Andrew Baker, however, was able to dismiss all the claims in one go in the first of two mini-trials to determine preliminary issues. Leigh writes: ‘What was the cause? The Revenue Rule.’ 

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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