Despite having broad case management powers in respect of trial witness statements that do not comply with the procedural rules, judges are notably unwilling to impose the more draconian sanctions available to them. This week, in McKinney Plant & Safety Ltd v The Construction Industry Training Board, a claimant who had committed multiple breaches of the rules and had exacerbated those breaches by being entirely dismissive of the defendant’s objections, escaped with a relatively lenient adverse costs order.
Court Rejects Attempt to Commence Claims for 3,500 Claimants in Single Claim Form
The High Court of England and Wales has provided guidance on when it is permissible to combine several individuals’ claims in a single claim form.
Service by Blockchain Technology
In another example of the court embracing technology in the furtherance of access to justice, the High Court of England and Wales has permitted service by way of a non-fungible token.
Heavy Redactions Subject to Increased Vigilance from the Court
The High Court of England and Wales has ordered a defendant to redo a significant portion of his disclosure as a result of a failure to properly explain the basis for heavy redactions across a significant number of documents
Exercise to ‘Provide Ballast’ to Irrelevant Claims Not Covered by Litigation Privilege
When litigation is either underway or in prospect, the unwary can fall into the trap of assuming that everything they do that is related to that dispute (however tenuously) will be covered by litigation privilege. The decision in Kyla Shipping Co Ltd & Another v Freight Trading Ltd & Others is a salutary reminder to remain clear headed in respect of privilege issues.