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09 January 2026
Issue: 8144 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 2 & 9 January 2026

Costs

Estate of Euan McIntyre Lindsay (deceased) and another v Outlook Finance Ltd (in liquidation) and another [2025] EWHC 3241 (KB)

The King’s Bench Division ruled on consequential matters following the setting aside of a 2014 judgment (the Manchester judgment) obtained by fraud. The court had previously established that the judgment should be set aside against both Outlook Finance Ltd (first defendant) and Mr Butcher (second defendant) due to fraud perpetrated by Derek Fradgley (deceased), even though Mr Butcher was not complicit in the fraud. On costs, the court awarded the Lindsay family (claimants) their costs on the standard basis, subject to a 25% reduction to account for their initially unfounded allegations of fraud against Mr Butcher. The court ordered repayment of previously paid costs from the Manchester proceedings and set aside the earlier cost assessment. Permission to appeal was granted on the point of whether the equitable jurisdiction to set aside a judgment extends to setting it aside against a non-fraudulent party, but refused on the second ground concerning

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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
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
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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