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22 January 2009 / Peter Hungerford-welch
Issue: 7353 / Categories: Case law , Discrimination , Law digest , Human rights
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Discrimination

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Syed v Wightlink (Guernsey) Ltd [2009] All ER (D) 38 (Jan)

Regarding the reverse burden of proof in is 54A of the Race Relations Act 1976, it is clear from Igen Limited v Wong [2005] IRLR 258, [2004] All ER (D) 152 (May) that, at stage 1 it must be assumed that the respondent is unable to provide an adequate explanation. The respondent’s explanation must be considered at stage 2, after the burden of proof has shifted.

That does not mean that, on factual issues, the respondent’s evidence should be disregarded at stage 1. If, having heard all the evidence, the tribunal rejects the claimant’s necessary case on primary facts, then the claim fails at that point.

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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
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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’
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