A recent case shows the lengths to which insurers will sometimes go to avoid liability under the policies they issue. It concerned a processing plant, which supplied the claimant, a pet food manufacturer, with meat that was unfit for…
Recent research by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has confirmed that there is a causal link between unemployment and debt problems. The research revealed that one in eight people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance owes more than £15,000. Faced with…
Figures from the Insolvency Service show that personal insolvencies rose again in the second quarter of 2010, with a 5 per cent increase compared with the same period the previous year. The same period saw a huge increase in those…
‘Without prejudice’ communications, made when negotiating legal disputes in order to aid agreement, are not normally admissible in court. The idea behind them is to allow the parties to explore possible areas of agreement and make suggestions and admissions…
This checklist sets out the actions your business should take when a dispute or potential dispute arises. It applies to any dispute or incident, whether started by you or brought against you (for example, a dispute with a trading partner…
The Court of Appeal has handed down its judgment in an important test case concerning compensation for people who develop mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos in the workplace. The decision will not only have serious implications for…
When a contract contains a ‘penalty clause’ for breach of the contract, the clause will not be enforceable if it is punitive, rather than a genuine attempt to compensate the other party based on a estimate of the loss…
‘They didn’t warn me what could happen’ is a common complaint, but a recent case shows that failure to be warned about a potential issue is not necessarily a cause for bringing legal action. The case involved a manufacturer…
A worker whose arm was partially severed in a construction site accident has won £600,000 in compensation. The man involved was hit by the bucket of a JCB. The driver was having difficulty releasing the bucket of the digger…
A sheet metal worker who developed ‘vibration white finger’ has won £7,000 in compensation. The unnamed 58-year-old man from Sheffield spent up to three hours a day grinding and hammering sheets of metal. After 26 years in the job,…