If a decision of a court has been reached after full consideration of an earlier decision which went the other way, it should not be open to review on a third occasion when the same point arose for decision.
Nourse J said: ‘There must come a time when a point is normally to be treated as having been settled at first instance. I think that should be when the earlier decision has been fully considered, but not followed, in a later one. Consistently with the modern approach of the judges of this court to an earlier decision of one of their number . . I would make an exception only in the case, which must be rare, where a third judge is convinced that the second was wrong in not following the first.’
Judges:
Justice Nourse
Citations:
[1986] Ch 80, [1984] 2 All ER 601
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Citing:
Cited – Minister of Pensions v Higham KBD 15-Apr-1948
The court considered the application of the doctrine of stare decisis when faced with conflicting earlier decisions.
Held: Denning J said that the ‘general rule’ is that: ‘where there are conflicting decisions of courts of co-ordinate . .
Cited by:
Cited – In re Cromptons Leisure Machines Ltd ChD 13-Dec-2006
The section gave the court a jurisdiction to authorise payments to people would be preferred creditors in a winding up. . .
Cited – Futter and Another v Futter and Others ChD 11-Mar-2010
Various family settlements had been created. The trustees wished to use the rule in Hastings-Bass to re-open decisions they had made after receiving incorrect advice.
Held: The deeds were set aside as void. The Rule in Hastings-Bass derives . .
Cited – Milebush Properties Ltd v Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and Others ChD 13-May-2010
The claimant sought a delaration that it had a right of way over an access road. The defendants said that the agreement fell foul of the 1989 Act.
Held: The claimant was not entitled to the declaration. Agreements under the 1990 Act are . .
Cited – In re Lambeth Cemetery ConC 28-Jul-2020
Resolution of Conflicts in Court decisions.
The petitioner sought the exhumation of his still born son so that he could be buried alongside his wife who had died several years later.
Held: There had been conflicting decisions as to what amounted to a good and proper reason for an . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Litigation Practice
Updated: 03 April 2022; Ref: scu.247762