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17 March 2023
Issue: 8017 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 17 March 2023

Damages

Barry v Ministry of Defence [2023] EWHC 459 (KB), [2023] All ER (D) 12 (Mar)

The King’s Bench Division ruled that, where the defendant Ministry of Defence (MoD) had admitted that the claimant had suffered injury and loss as a result of exposure to excessive levels of noise, which had been due to the MoD’s negligence and breach of statutory duty, and where it had not shown that the claimant had been at fault within the meaning of s 1 of the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945, the claimant was entitled to compensation for his losses, without any reduction for contributory negligence. Accordingly, applying settled principles to the facts, quantum was assessed in the sum of £713,716. The court so ruled concerning the claimant’s claim for damages for noise-induced hearing loss and consequential losses sustained in the course of his service in the Royal Marines.


Family proceedings

Re P (a child) (fair hearing) [2023] EWCA Civ 215, [2023] All ER (D) 11 (Mar)

The Court of Appeal, Civil Division,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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