The bank sought to enforce a guarantee against the estate of the deceased guarantor. The executors alleged undue influence. The bank appealed. Held: Where the other contracting party had had actual knowledge of the undue influence or misrepresentation the victim might not be held to the contract. Citations: [1996] EWCA Civ 558, [1997] 1 WLR … Continue reading Banco Exterior Internacional SA (Formerly Banco Exterior – UK a Limited Liability Company Incorporated Under the Laws of Spain) v Thomas and Barry the Executors of Patricia Dempsey: CA 31 Jul 1996
In Smith, the lender instructed a valuer who knew that the buyer and mortgagee were likely to rely on his valuation alone. The valuer said his terms excluded responsibility. The mortgagor had paid an inspection fee to the building society and received a copy of the report, and relying on it, had bought the house. … Continue reading Smith v Eric S Bush, a firm etc: HL 20 Apr 1989
Wives had charged the family homes to secure their husband’s business borrowings, and now resisted possession orders, claiming undue influence. Held: Undue influence is an equitable protection created to undo the effect of excess influence of one person over the will of another, though it should not always be presumed to arise from the existence … Continue reading Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No 2); Barclays Bank plc v Harris; Midland Bank plc v Wallace, etc: HL 11 Oct 2001
Simple interest only on rate swap damages The bank had paid money to the local authority under a contract which turned out to be ultra vires and void. The question was whether, in addition to ordering the repayment of the money to the bank on unjust enrichment principles, the court could also award compound interest. … Continue reading Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale v Islington London Borough Council: HL 22 May 1996
Right of Recovery of Money Paid under Mistake Kleinwort Benson had made payments to a local authority under swap agreements which were thought to be legally enforceable when made. Subsequently, a decision of the House of Lords, (Hazell v. Hammersmith and Fulham) established that such swap agreements were unlawful. Kleinwort Benson then sought restitution of … Continue reading Kleinwort Benson Ltd v Lincoln City Council etc: HL 29 Jul 1998
1267 – 1278 – 1285 – 1297 – 1361 – 1449 – 1491 – 1533 – 1677 – 1688 – 1689 – 1700 – 1706 – 1710 – 1730 – 1737 – 1738 – 1751 – 1774 – 1792 – 1793 – 1804 – 1814 – 1819 – 1824 – 1828 – 1831 – 1832 … Continue reading Acts
The parties owned either half of a semi-detached residence. The defendant had undertaken substantial redevelopment works, and the claimant sought damages under the 1996 Act for his failures to follow that Act. The issues had been taken to arbitration. Held: The claimants had not shown that there was any threat to their building and were … Continue reading Rodrigues v Sokal: TCC 30 Jul 2008
The court considered an appeal against an award under the 1996 Act. The appeal had been brought under Part 8 of the Civil Procedure Rules. Held: The appeal was by virtue of the 1996 Act, and as such was a statutory appeal, and should have been brought under Part 52, not Part 8. Judges: Sir … Continue reading Zissis v Lukomski and Another: CA 5 Apr 2006
Appeal by the Defendants against an order declaring that the flank wall of 39HP which adjoins the Garden is a party wall within the meaning of section 38(1) of the 1925 Act and of section 20 of the 1996 Act. The issue on the appeal is whether the judge was right to make those declarations … Continue reading Wellington Properties Ltd v Second Duke of Westminster, Trustees of The Will of and Another: ChD 13 Nov 2018
Whether defendant appointed surveyors had jurisdiction to make award under the 1996 Act. Judges: Mr Justice Eyre Citations: [2022] EWHC 209 (QB) Links: Bailii Statutes: Party Wall etc Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Arbitration Updated: 20 April 2022; Ref: scu.671991
One neighbour had carried out construction on the boundary with the other. The parties now disputed the damages to be awarded on arbitration, and whether the notice of the award had been properly serve by email. Patten, Hamblen, Henderson LJJ [2018] EWCA Civ 237, [2018] 3 All ER 505, [2018] WLR(D) 108, [2018] 1 WLR … Continue reading Knight v Goulandris: CA 20 Feb 2018
The appellants challenged the terms of an order under the 1996 Act setting out how they were to carry out proposed building works. Richards, Beatson, Briggs LJJ [2014] EWCA Civ 335 Bailii Party Wall etc Act 1996 England and Wales Land, Construction Updated: 02 December 2021; Ref: scu.523297
A party to an arbitration under the 1996 Act disputed whether the award had been served so as to leave that party out of time to appeal.
Rix LJ spoke of the common law as requiring proof of receipt, whereas the Interpretation Act deemed receipt . .
Citations: [2009] EWCA Civ 611, [2009] 26 EG 113, [2010] 1 P and CR 6, 126 Con LR 17, [2009] 38 EG 113, [2010] 1 WLR 1 Links: Bailii Statutes: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Land, Construction Updated: 20 December 2022; Ref: scu.347202
The claimants sought an interim injunction to restrain the defendants from demolishing a party wall in the garden. Judges: Culson QC J Citations: [2007] EWHC 2862 (TCC) Links: Bailii Statutes: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Citing: Cited – Nottingham Building Society v Eurodynamics Systems plc 1993 The court laid down tests … Continue reading Udal and Another v Dutton and Another: TCC 30 Nov 2007
The claimant sought damages after the planning authority allowed the first defendant to conduct a manufacturing business in the course of which spraying activities took place which caused them personal injuries and loss of business. Held: The planning system is a regulatory system as envisaged in X (Minors), such that there should be no private … Continue reading Regina v Lam and Others (T/a ‘Namesakes of Torbay’) and Borough of Torbay: CA 30 Jul 1997
Citations: [2003] EWCA Civ 1943 Links: Bailii Statutes: Party Walls Etc Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Land Updated: 12 September 2022; Ref: scu.193648
Criminality of Assisting Suicide not Infringing The court was asked: ‘whether the present state of the law of England and Wales relating to assisting suicide infringes the European Convention on Human Rights, and whether the code published by the Director of Public Prosecutions relating to prosecutions of those who are alleged to have assisted a … Continue reading Nicklinson and Another, Regina (on The Application of): SC 25 Jun 2014
The defendant appealed agaiunst a finding that it had defamed the claimant by repeating the contents of papers found after the invasion of Iraq which made claims against the claimant. The paper had not sought to justify the claims, relying on Reynolds privilege. Held: The appeal failed. The judge had applied the correct tests for … Continue reading George Galloway MP v The Telegraph Group Ltd: CA 25 Jan 2006
The claimants were dependants of Iraqi nationals killed in Iraq. Held: The Military Police were operating when Britain was an occupying power. The question in each case was whether the Human Rights Act applied to the acts of the defendant. The question amounted to whether the officers acted under State Agent Authority within the convention … Continue reading Regina (on the Application of Mazin Mumaa Galteh Al-Skeini and Others) v The Secretary of State for Defence: CA 21 Dec 2005
Application for leave to appeal. Original leading counsel had consented to the abandonment of parts of the claim. New leading counsel now sought to revive them. Held: The claim had little prospect of success. Leave to appeal refused. Judges: Waller, Mance LJJ Citations: [1999] EWCA Civ 1650 Links: Bailii Citing: Cited – Arthur J S … Continue reading Worldwide Corporation Limited v Marconi Communications Limited (Formerly GPT Limited) and GPT (Middle East) Limited: 22 Jun 1999
The claimant had been awarded damages for sex discrimination, including a sum of andpound;25,000 for injury to feelings. The respondent appealed. Held: The Court of Appeal looked to see whether there had been an error of law in the employment tribunal decision. It did not look to see whether the Employment Appeal Tribunal had erred … Continue reading Vento v The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No 2): CA 20 Dec 2002
An assignment of a cause of action by a company in liquidation was valid, even though the dominant purpose was to avoid having to give security for costs, and to get legal aid. In dismissing the argument that the transactions were a device to defeat the purpose of statutory provisions: ‘It is not that the … Continue reading Norglen Ltd (In Liquidation) v Reeds Rains Prudential Ltd and Others; Circuit Systems Ltd (In Liquidation) and Another v Zuken-Redac: HL 1 Dec 1997
The applicant sought to bring an action to challenge new rules on approval of export credit guarantees. The company was non-profit and founded to support investigation of bribery. It had applied for a protected costs order to support the application, and now appealed its refusal. Held: The court restated the practice on the making of … Continue reading Corner House Research, Regina (on the Application of) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry: CA 1 Mar 2005
Applications were made to strike down regulations governing the use of the herbal product kava-kava. Held: The omission of any transtitional provisions had not affected anyone. Nor was the failure to consult as to the possibility of dealing with the issue by use of a warning label fatal to the regulations. The Minister’s own personal … Continue reading National Association of Health Stores and Another, Regina (on the Application of) v Department of Health: CA 22 Feb 2005
Limitation of Loss from Negligent Mis-statement The plaintiffs sought damages from accountants for negligence. They had acquired shares in a target company and, relying upon the published and audited accounts which overstated the company’s earnings, they purchased further shares. Held: The duties of an auditor are founded in contract and the extent of the duties … Continue reading Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman and others: HL 8 Feb 1990
A diesel tank was in a yard which drained into a river. It was surrounded by a bund to contain spillage, but that protection was over ridden by an extension pipe from the tank to a drum outside the bund. Someone opened a tap on that pipe so that diesel flowed into the drum until … Continue reading Empress Car Company (Abertillery) Ltd v National Rivers Authority: HL 22 Jan 1998
Judges: Williamson QC HHJ Citations: [2017] EWHC 1353 (TCC), [2017] 4 WLR 120, [2017] WLR(D) 414 Links: Bailii, WLRD Statutes: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Citing: See Also – Lea Valley Developments Ltd v Derbyshire TCC 19-Apr-2017 . . Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete. Land Updated: … Continue reading Lea Valley Developments Ltd v Derbyshire: TCC 16 Jun 2017
Judges: A Williamson QC HHJ Citations: [2017] EWHC B22 (TCC) Links: Bailii Statutes: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Cited by: See Also – Lea Valley Developments Ltd v Derbyshire TCC 16-Jun-2017 . . Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete. Land Updated: 27 March 2022; Ref: scu.588994
This appeal is concerned with the liability of a local authority for what is alleged to have been a negligent failure to exercise its social services functions so as to protect children from harm caused by third parties. The principal question of law which it raises is whether a local authority or its employees may … Continue reading Poole Borough Council v GN and Another: SC 6 Jun 2019
The defendant council had carried out research into a water supply in India in the 1980s. The claimant drank the water, and claimed damages for having consumed arsenic in it. Held: There is a close link between the tests in law for proximity and foreseeability. The report was a short term pilot report, and could … Continue reading Binod Sutradhar v Natural Environment Research Council: CA 20 Feb 2004
The claimant had been assistant to a well known publicist. The defendant had settled an action brought by her principal for hacking his mobile telephone, in the course of which it appeared that the claimant’s phone had also been hacked. She now sought disclosure of documents from the defendants, including from the police investigation. Other … Continue reading Phillips v Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd and Others: ChD 17 Nov 2010
The claimants complained of their segregation while in prison. Several preliminary questions were to be decided: whether damages might be payable for breach of a Convention Right; wheher the act of a prison governor was the act of the executive; whether time ran from the date of the first breach, whether want of proportionality is … Continue reading Somerville v Scottish Ministers: HL 24 Oct 2007
The House was asked whether an action for unlawful means conspiracy was available against a participant in a missing trader intra-community, or carousel, fraud. The company appealed a finding of liability saying that the VAT Act and Regulations contained the entire regime. Held: Criminal conduct at common law or by statute can constitute unlawful means … Continue reading Total Network Sl v Revenue and Customs: HL 12 Mar 2008
The parties had cohabited for a long time, in a home bought by Ms Dowden. After the breakdown of the relationship, Mr Stack claimed an equal interest in the second family home, which they had bought in joint names. The House was asked whether, when a conveyance into joint names indicates only that each party … Continue reading Stack v Dowden: HL 25 Apr 2007
The student, a Muslim wished to wear a full Islamic dress, the jilbab, but this was not consistent with the school’s uniform policy. She complained that this interfered with her right to express her religion. Held: The school’s appeal succeeded. The school had acted responsibly and carefully seeking to balance and respect several interests when … Continue reading Begum (otherwise SB), Regina (on the Application of) v Denbigh High School: HL 22 Mar 2006
The local authority was tenant of properties which it sub-licensed to homeless persons for three years was liable for having allowed the properties to deteriorate. It was claimed that they were liable for permissive waste as tenants for a fixed . .
References: [1999] EWCA Civ 1650 Links: Bailii Coram: Waller, Mance LJJ Application for leave to appeal. Original leading counsel had consented to the abandonment of parts of the claim. New leading counsel now sought to revive them. Held: The claim had little prospect of success. Leave to appeal refused. This case cites: Cited – Arthur … Continue reading Worldwide Corporation Limited v Marconi Communications Limited (Formerly GPT Limited) and GPT (Middle East) Limited; 22 Jun 1999
