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12 May 2011 / Jennifer James
Issue: 7465 / Categories: Blogs
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Super powers?

Jennifer James questions the principles of the ubiquitous super-injunction

The Insider is a sucker for a wedding and when William turned to Kate (sorry, Catherine) in the Abbey last month and said “you look beautiful” I came over all emotional. Of course, having been unsuccessfully wed myself years ago I am not naive enough to think everything will go smoothly; there are almost guaranteed to be problems. Apparently Camilla is keen to impress upon the Duchess of Cambridge who’s the boss; I can see that one going down well with William.

Increasingly it seems that when things do go wrong between spouses or lovers, the more powerful (and/or wealthy) of the two is able to go to court to obtain a so-called “super-injunction” preventing, in the most extreme cases, not only the printing of any kiss-and-tell, but also any reference to the fact that an injunction has been applied for.

Such injunctions are likely to cost in the region of £25,000–£50,000. The usual “costs follow the event” rule generally means that any person or entity that

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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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