A recent case illustrates the sort of unanticipated problem that can arise as a result of owning property abroad. The case involved an English man who owned a property in Brittany. He was in receipt of social security benefits – in particular,...

A total of £75,000 has been awarded in compensation to six people who fell and were injured whilst enjoying a night out at a Council-run nightclub. The clubbers had all attended special theme nights at the club in Wolverhampton Civic Hall. The...

In a recent case , the executors of a woman's estate have been ruled to be liable for Inheritance Tax (IHT) on the value of her pension fund, after she failed to take her pension when she was terminally ill. The woman was diagnosed with cancer five months...

The family of a man who died of an asbestos-related disease has secured a settlement of £57,500. John Scott, who was 76 when he died of mesothelioma, had worked as a foreman and electrician for the Atomic Energy Authority for almost forty years until...

The principle that British persons divorced abroad can look to the courts in England and Wales to ensure that their ‘reasonable needs’ are met in the divorce settlement has been firmly established following a recent case involving a divorced...

The comedian Jimmy Carr was recently successful in using a loophole in the law to avoid a fine for using a mobile phone whilst driving. The argument was based on the fact that he was using his mobile phone as a dictating machine, rather than as a...

An argument over a narrow strip of land has left a mother and son facing massive costs after their case was heard in the Court of Appeal recently. The dispute arose because their neighbour wanted to put up a fence on what he considered to be the dividing...

A pedestrian who was hurt in a road accident in East London has won the right to compensation from Newham Council because it failed to trim the shrubs in the middle of a busy road. Mrs Pervin Yetkin, 54, was attempting to cross Stratford High Street when...

The problems which can arise when there is an intestate estate that involves business assets were made clear recently when the High Court had to rule on a complex claim relating back to a death that occurred many years ago. At stake was a share in a farm,...

It is often thought that, when couples live together, they have similar rights to those who are married or in a civil partnership. However, this is far from the truth, as a barrister found out recently when she lost her case in the High Court . The...

After a seven-year legal battle, a college lecturer has won compensation after delays in his medical treatment left him paralysed. Tim Joplin, 58, an artist and lecturer at Dudley College, was admitted to Russells Hall Hospital with pain in his shoulder and...

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a man who knew that he and his daughter were about to become homeless, and who wrote to the council seeking its assistance in obtaining accommodation, had done enough to trigger the council’s obligation to provide...

HM Revenue and Customs have announced that non-UK resident persons who remained in the UK due to disruption of their travel plans because of the volcanic ash cloud and who, as a result, spent more than 90 days in the UK at one time, will not be treated as...

A woman who was left paralysed after a tragic fairground accident has secured compensation of £35,000 from the company responsible testing the equipment. She is also pursuing further claims to compensate her for her injuries. Jessica Oseland, 28, was...

A will made two months before the death of an elderly woman has been set aside by the High Court after it heard evidence that by 2006, when the new will was made, she was ‘seriously losing her grip’. The new will left the woman’s entire...

A man who suffered permanent eye damage in a workplace accident has won compensation from his employer. Phillip Heeney, 25, was helping a colleague move a drum of acid when the accident happened. As they were removing the lid, the acid splashed into Mr...

A recent case in the Court of Appeal has resulted in a 92-year-old widow being given the right to evict her daughter and son-in-law, after a bitter family dispute that has lasted, on and off, for 20 years. The judges dismissed the couple's claims that they...

Taxpayers who evade more than £25,000 of tax will now be ‘named and shamed’ by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) where the evasion affects a period after 1 April 2010. It is expected to be 2011 before the first tax evaders will be publicly...

Following a four-year legal battle, a motorcyclist who lost his leg after being involved in a collision with a car has won a lump sum of £640,000 in compensation. The accident happened when a car pulled out in front of the motorcyclist without...

Over 1,500 people who suffered chemical burns and allergic reactions after buying ‘toxic sofas’ are to share a compensation settlement worth £20 million, in what is thought to be the largest consumer class action in English legal history. ...

A fitter has won nearly £7,000 in compensation after suffering damage to his hearing as a result of exposure to noise at work. The 66-year-old man began working for his employer in 1967 but was not provided with hearing protection until the early...

When a wife agrees to allow the family home to be used as security for her husband’s debts, the legal situation is normally clear and the creditor can rely on her consent in order to take possession. However, a recent case , in which a wife...

A total of 15 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning associated with domestic gas appliances in the year 2008/2009, mainly a result of gas appliances being fitted badly or not being serviced properly. All landlords have a statutory obligation under the ...

A pensioner who developed a deadly form of lung cancer decades after coming into contact with asbestos in the workplace has won a six-figure compensation settlement. The 72-year-old man worked as an engineer for a motor vehicle manufacturer between 1953 and...

With tax rates on the rise and the coldest winter in years still a vivid memory, it may be a tempting prospect to leave Britain behind and settle somewhere in the sun. One of the drawbacks with this approach is that it is, in practice, difficult to sever...