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In a case concerning a taxpayer who was not domiciled in the UK, the Upper Tribunal (UT) has upheld a decision that transfers from his overseas bank accounts to UK bank accounts of non-relevant persons amounted to taxable remittances under Section 809L of...
The High Court has ruled that a will made by a man who was suffering from delusions caused by late-onset schizophrenia was invalid for want of testamentary capacity. In late 2013, the man had become concerned that someone was trying to break into his home...
Compensation has been obtained for a concierge who was seriously injured when a heavy parcel tipped over and fell onto her leg. The woman worked in a block of apartments. She was organising residents' parcels in the building's store room when the accident...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides guidance for the public on data protection and information rights on its website. Guidance is available on the following topics: making a Subject Access Request to find out if an organisation is...
A man who was injured while using a table saw has secured compensation from the online retailer he bought it from. After sustaining the injury, which resulted in part of his index finger being amputated, he warned the retailer about the issue, but the...
When disagreements arise between neighbours about the ownership of land, it is invariably best to try to reach an amicable solution rather than engage in litigation. In an unusual case concerning the ownership of a driveway , the Upper Tribunal (UT)...
A compensation settlement has been obtained for a 10-year-old boy who was injured in a road accident. He was riding his e-scooter along the road when a car came round the corner at high speed and collided with him. He suffered a broken leg, which required...
In a recent ruling on a wife's application for a financial remedy order , the Family Court accepted that her caring responsibilities for the couple's son justified a departure from the sharing principle. The Court handed down its judgment as an indication...
The government has announced that the allowance for Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) will be £2.5 million when it is introduced on 6 April 2026, rather than £1 million as originally proposed. The government...
A man has obtained compensation for injuries he sustained on a package holiday in Cape Verde when a member of staff at the hotel where he was staying kneed him in the back of the leg. The incident, which was described by the hotel operator as 'a misguided...
The law affords testators a high degree of freedom to pass on their estates to whomever they wish, and the fact that the terms of a will may seem unfair to relatives is not enough to successfully challenge it. This point was illustrated by a recent case in...
A woman whose health was significantly affected by damp and mould in her home has obtained damages. Her local authority landlord failed to keep the property in good repair, and as a result she was exposed to damp and mould for a number of years. The...
The courts are alert to the risk of divorcing couples being less than honest about their assets and liabilities in financial remedy proceedings. Recently, the Family Court rejected a husband's assertion that he owed £1.6 million to a company owned by...
Under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 , landlords may evict tenants who have an assured shorthold tenancy which is a periodic tenancy or a fixed-term tenancy that has expired by giving at least two months' notice. However, a Section 21 notice cannot be...
A pensioner who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car has received substantial compensation. She was out walking her dog when the car suddenly mounted the pavement and hit her. Her dog was killed and she was left unconscious. She...
A woman who was subjected to defamatory posts on Facebook has succeeded in having them removed after taking legal advice. The woman and her husband had started to feed and look after a cat that had been coming into her garden. The cat subsequently...
A retired personal assistant who was seriously injured while attending an eye examination has obtained compensation. As she got up from the bench after the initial tests had been completed, she caught her foot on a table leg. She hit her head on the wall...
The Family Court recently granted a local authority permission to withdraw an application for a care order in respect of a two-year-old girl, after the local authority concluded that, in the light of the medical evidence, it would not be able to meet the...
People have a great level of freedom to leave their estates as they choose and disappointed relatives must overcome a high hurdle to successfully challenge a will. Recently, the daughter of a woman who made a will leaving her entire estate to one of her sons...
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual statistics on ill health and injuries in the workplace for the year 2024/25. The number of employees who reported suffering from work-related ill health was 1.9 million. This is an increase from...
The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has found that a repayment of Income Tax due to a taxpayer who had died during the relevant tax year formed part of her estate for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes. The taxpayer had died on 18 December 2020. Her son, who was...
A guide to issues relating to property boundaries is available on the government's website. The guide notes that, in England and Wales, there is usually no record of the exact boundary between two properties or the ownership of boundary features between...
A manufacturing company has been fined after an apprentice suffered serious injuries in a workplace accident. The 18-year-old apprentice had been working for the company for less than a year and was still learning how to operate machinery. His shirt became...
The Family Court has rejected a husband's application to set aside a financial remedy order made in his absence after he ceased to participate in the final hearing. The husband and wife had separated in 2022 after 15 years of marriage. On the first day of...
A compensation settlement has been agreed for a woman whose leg had to be amputated after she was involved in a head-on collision. Her car was hit by another vehicle which was trying to overtake traffic. She was airlifted to hospital and spent more than two...
The best way to minimise the risk of a successful challenge to your will is to have it drawn up by a qualified solicitor. Recently, a woman's challenge to her elderly father's final will was rejected by the High Court . The man had made the will in March...
Damages have been obtained for a shop assistant who tripped over some shopping bags in the department store where she worked. The 23-year-old shop assistant was working behind the tills when she tripped over the bags, which had been left on the floor, and...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has outlined plans to reform the mortgage market, which could make it easier for first-time buyers and self-employed people to purchase properties. The reforms also aim to help homeowners access housing wealth in later...
Compensation has been obtained for a cyclist who was injured when his bicycle hit a pothole. After going for a ride with his cycling club, he was cycling home when he ran into a deep pothole and came off his bicycle, suffering injuries to his hip and...
When patients lack capacity to decide whether to undergo medical treatment, the Court of Protection is often called upon to decide what is in their best interests. Recently, the Court ruled that it was in the best interests of a young man to undergo surgery...
The High Court has refused a mother's application for her five-year-old daughter's return to Dubai , instead granting an application by the girl's father for her to remain in England. The mother and father had married in 2019 and moved to Dubai, where the...
A woman has been awarded compensation after contracting salmonella poisoning during a cruise. She began to feel ill within two days after the cruise began, suffering from symptoms including vomiting and abdominal cramps. She was diagnosed with salmonella...
The Upper Tribunal (UT) has granted a landowner's application to modify a restrictive covenant to allow a small bungalow to be constructed in place of a workshop. The landowner had sold land near his house to a local developer in 1999. The developer built...
A man who was injured in a chemical explosion at his place of work has received a settlement from his employer. He had been told that the chemical compound he was mixing was completely safe. However, when he returned to his workstation after overseeing...
The manager of a care home has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for forging the will of an elderly woman who lived in the home. The woman had moved into the home in 2020 after becoming ill. She was described by the judge as 'particularly...
Compensation has been obtained for a motorcyclist who was seriously injured in a road traffic accident involving two separate vehicles. After a van turned into his path, he was unable to avoid a collision and was knocked from his motorbike. The traffic came...
A taxpayer has successfully argued before the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that a company's purchase of shares he owned in it was wholly or mainly for the purpose of benefiting its trade under Section 1033 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 . The consideration...
Under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 , an unmarried parent can apply for financial provision for their child from the other parent. The Family Court recently granted a mother's application for interim relief in Schedule 1 proceedings, ordering the...
The Upper Tribunal (UT) has allowed a landowner's appeal against the rejection of his application to be registered as the proprietor of a parcel of land on the basis of adverse possession. The landowner and the owner of adjoining land both carried on...
The High Court has rejected a son's claim that he was entitled to inherit his father's farm based on promises his father had made during his lifetime. The son's claim that his father's last two wills were invalid was also rejected. The father had died in...
A holidaymaker has obtained five-figure damages for injuries she suffered in a fall on a flight of stairs in her hotel during a package holiday. She was on her way to the hotel's restaurant when the accident happened. The lighting in one of the flights of...
When deciding what is in the best interests of a patient who lacks capacity to make decisions about their care, the courts will take into account any wishes and feelings the patient has previously expressed, as well as the medical evidence. Recently, the ...
A man who had to have a finger on his left hand amputated following a workplace accident has obtained a compensation settlement. The 65-year-old man, who worked as a manufacturing technical manager, was investigating a problem with a packaging machine when...
From 1 December 2025, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) deposit protection limit is increasing from £85,000 to £120,000. If you hold deposits or savings with a UK-authorised bank, building society or credit union and it goes out...
From January this year, new reporting provisions were introduced in family courts in England and Wales, following a successful pilot scheme. The government has published guidance on the new regime for parents and family members involved in family court...
Damages have been obtained for a former nurse who suffered a broken ankle when she stepped into a pothole. She had gone out for a walk and was crossing the road when she walked through what she thought was a puddle but was actually a deep pothole filled...
A man who suffered permanent disability after he was involved in a collision while riding his motorbike has secured substantial compensation. He sustained a spinal cord injury in the collision and was left with no motor or sensory function below his chest....
A homeowner has succeeded in his application for a boundary determination after his neighbours extended their driveway and built a fence in front of his window. The homeowner had bought his house in 2021. A few months later, the neighbours had dug up part...
The High Court has upheld the validity of a codicil to a woman's will which left the family farm to her two daughters and dismissed claims by her grandsons that she had promised the farm to them. The woman had passed away in 2020 at the age of 96. A will...
An elderly woman who slipped on a wet floor in a supermarket has obtained compensation for the injuries she sustained. She was walking past the fresh flower stand when she slipped on water and petals that had fallen onto the floor. The accident left her...
