In a warning to the business community that it can sometimes be hazardous to mix business with pleasure, a judge has emphasised that ‘chatty’ emails, partly devoted to discussion of the provenance and vintage of fine wine, did not conclude…
A recent attempt by the wife of a British expatriate, who had lived for many years in Spain, to persuade the English court to accept jurisdiction over their divorce was frustrated by the Court of Appeal, which decided that the…
The Court of Appeal has ordered a defendant to disclose e-mails to the claimant company on the basis of their former relationship as agent and principal. The court confirmed that the principal was entitled to require production by the agent…
In a ruling which makes clear that wise employers do not treat disciplinary hearings as mere formalities, a pastry chef who was dismissed after he used non-kosher jam to decorate a cake whilst working at a Jewish bakery has won…
In a ruling of significance to public authority employers, a Scottish council has been ordered to disclose information about its staffing levels and pay scales after failing to convince the Supreme Court that publicly revealing such details would violate employees’…
Trust and confidence are central to any employment relationship, as a case involving a nurse who claimed to have been subjected to a course of bullying and harassment in the workplace showed when she triumphed in an unfair constructive dismissal…
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill, which received Royal Assent in April 2013, provides for a new type of employment status – the ‘employee-shareholder – with effect from 1 September 2013. Not to be confused with partnership arrangements whereby employees benefit…
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined the Bank of Scotland plc £75,000 for a serious breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. The ICO found that, over a four-year period, the bank repeatedly sent faxes containing customers' personal data…
A recent case dealt with the issues surrounding the respective rights of a parent and child in unusual circumstances. The natural father of the child wished to join in the proceedings to oppose his son being adopted. The unusual feature…
In Walker v Sita Information Networking Computing Limited, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) found that the Employment Tribunal (ET) was in error in concluding that a claimant who was overweight and who suffered from a ‘constellation of symptoms’ that caused…