Law digests: 12 February 2021

Damages

Rees v Metropolitan Police Commissioner [2021] EWCA Civ 49, [2021] All ER (D) 81 (Jan)

In dismissing the appellant’s appeal, the Court of Appeal, Civil Division, found that amount of £155,000 in damages that the Queen’s Bench Division had awarded to the appellant for the respondent Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s (the Commissioner) malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office had been within the range of awards reasonably open to it, and therefore the damages award had not been too low as the appellant had contended. The court also dismissed the Commissioner’s cross-appeal against the exemplary damages awarded to the appellant, and found that both the decision to award exemplary damages to the appellant, and the amount of exemplary damages that had been awarded, had been justified.

Environment

Wild Justice v Natural Resources Wales (National Farmers’ Union intervening) [2021] EWHC 35 (Admin), [2021] All ER (D) 88 (Jan)

Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. The claimant organisation, which promoted natural conservation, failed in its challenge to the licences