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24 May 2024
Issue: 8072 / Categories: Case law , In Court , Law digest
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Law digests: 24 May 2024

Contract

Sharp Corp Ltd v Viterra BV (­previously known as Glencore ­Agriculture BV) [2024] UKSC 14, [2024] All ER (D) 31 (May)

The Supreme Court ruled on the appeal and the cross-appeal which arose out of two Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA) appeal awards under the Arbitration Act 1996 relating to cost & freight (C&F) free out Mundra sales made of pulses by the appellant seller to the respondent buyer pursuant to the GAFTA Contract No 24 Default Clause, where damages were awarded by the GAFTA Appeal Board to the appellant on the basis of the estimated C&F free out Mundra value of the goods. The court of Appeal (Civil Division) allowed the respondent’s appeal but did so in relation to a question of law which it had amended by adding to the question the wording ‘in the circumstances found by the Appeal Board in the Awards’. It also held that damages should be awarded on the basis that the contracts had been varied. The Supreme Court, in allowing the appeal, held

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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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