A Muslim support teacher, who lost her claim for direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment on religious grounds after she was suspended from work and then dismissed for insisting on wearing her veil, is to take her case to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
A couple who fell foul of an old law applying to their property are faced with a bill for building repairs plus legal costs amounting to an estimated total of £400,000, following a reverse in the House of Lords.
Quite often, the question as to who should witness the signing of a will is treated as an afterthought, but when a will is contested, the ability to hear the evidence of the witnesses can be crucial.
Under section 98A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA), if an employer fails to follow the correct procedure in relation to the dismissal of an employee, this will not by itself make the employer's action unreasonable if he can demonstrate that he would have decided to dismiss the employee even...
The purpose of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) is to ensure that the transfer of a business has no prejudicial effects on its employees and that it does not subject them to less favourable treatment. Even though the legislation was amended in 2006,...
Insurance magnate John Charman, whose fortune is estimated at over £130m, has launched an appeal against the £48m financial settlement awarded to his ex-wife Beverley.
The award, the largest ever made by a British court, followed her refusal to accept his offer of £20m...
The Sydney Mitchell team of runners successfully completed the course without being washed away. In spite of the terrible weather all ten of the Sydney Mitchell team of runners turned out and finished the course. Congratulations to Charles Fentiman, who got the fastest time with 34mins 35seconds...
Two recent cases illustrate the wisdom of taking advice to make sure that before you sign an agreement, its terms have been reviewed and its meaning is clear.
A rise in reported business fraud of 40 per cent in 2006 means that fraud has reached new record levels and is estimated to be costing UK businesses £1.37bn annually. Most fraud is employee fraud.
The number of reported frauds which cost the individual firms involved more than...
Recent reported increases in fraud (reports by accountants BDO Stoy Hayward and KPMG both indicate a rapidly increasing problem) will focus the minds of business managers on this issue. Fortunately, there is a new weapon against fraudsters - at least those whose frauds are detected - in the form of...
There are specific rules that normally apply when an employer enters into a compromise agreement in order to prevent an employee from taking action on a particular matter at the Employment Tribunal at a future date. A recent case has further illustrated the need for careful drafting of such...
Although the current thinking of the courts is to consider contractual disputes from a practical commercial angle, they will not normally 're-write the contract' just because the meaning of the provisions of the contract in dispute might conflict with commercial common sense or if this would result...
Copyright is a right which exists without any specific steps having to be taken. It applies whenever there is a work created which contains original skill or labour. It applies to written material and that includes email, as a recent High Court ruling has confirmed.
Contractors in the building industry are reminded that the new Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is scheduled to start on 6 April 2007 and that the tax deduction rate for subcontractors registered for net payment is 20 per cent (not 18 per cent as previously proposed). Subcontractors who are not...
The European Commission is adept at handing out massive fines for serious breaches of competition law and the recent €750m fine, levied on a cartel that included electronics giant Siemens, is no exception. Siemens received the largest fine of €423m.
The result of the well-publicised 'Whiter Shade of Pale' case was not one which will make either side 'turn cartwheels across the floor'. In essence, the claim was that Matthew Fisher, a former organist with Procol Harum, should be treated as a co-writer of the 1967 million-selling smash hit...
A recent case will set warning bells ringing for those who manage sports teams involving children and for school sports teachers. It involved a rugby match in which a boy who was well over-age was selected to play for his school's under 15 team. He committed a tackle which resulted in a broken...
A dispute over the ownership of a boundary wall has cost the unfortunate loser more than a quarter of a million pounds in legal costs after the case went all the way to the Court of Appeal.
The dispute arose when a couple named Wilson decided to create a store and garage by using their...
Reading University has been found not to be liable for the death of a worker from mesothelioma. It was alleged that the man was exposed to asbestos when assisting in works to the University's library in the 1980s.
The Data Protection Act 1998 gives individuals the right to access information held about them by organisations. The Act governs how organisations can use the personal information they hold - including how they acquire, store, share or dispose of it.
Changes introduced in December 2005 extended protection under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to those diagnosed with progressive forms of cancer.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, together with the Working with Cancer group and the cancer information charity...
From 2 April 2007, the Patent Office will be known as the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). The purpose of the change is to make it clear that UKIPO deals with all forms of intellectual property registration and not just patent applications.
From 27 February 2007, the penalty for using a mobile phone whilst driving has been increased to £60 and three penalty points will be added to the licence of the driver involved.
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