When a company made its managing director redundant, it agreed to give him six months' pay in lieu of notice. However, which it subsequently discovered that he had previously committed an act of gross misconduct, it refused to pay. The…
In February 2012, the Education and Business Secretaries commissioned jeweller and social entrepreneur Jason Holt to report on measures that would make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take on apprentices. The report has now been published…
When a museum came up short in its ability to fund a pension scheme deficit, the question of the status of the museum’s exhibits became of interest: if they belonged to the museum trust, they could be sold to fund…
Failing to settle a dispute out of court has cost a group of tenants in Sussex dear in a case decided recently. The dispute arose when a block of flats suffered water penetration. The tenants were obliged to pay for…
Insurers do not always pay claims promptly and without question. Indeed, the courts deal on a regular basis with disputes between claimants who have made a claim under their insurance policies and insurers that have refused to pay out under…
In the light of a recent Court of Appeal decision, businesses should ensure they allow workers to carry over their accrued holiday if they have been on long-term sick leave and have not had the opportunity to take the holiday.…
Property owners will welcome a High Court ruling on an empty rates relief avoidance scheme. The court held that the temporary storage of documents occupying only a very small percentage of a warehouse's floor space was actual occupation for the…
Two adopted children stand to benefit from a £3 million trust fund despite the fact that the trust was set up when adoption did not automatically confer inheritance rights. The High Court so ruled, applying European Convention articles against discrimination…
Figures obtained by independent IT finance provider Syscap indicate that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are increasingly using their powers of distraint to seize the assets of businesses with unpaid VAT bills. Last year, HMRC used these powers 2,401 times,…
The High Court has held that the temporary storage of documents occupying only 0.2% of a warehouse's floor space was actual occupation for the purposes of business rates liability. This meant that a new period of empty rates relief applied…