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ATE: The right of recovery

Simon Brown considers the liability of ATE insurers to a successful defendant ‘An ATE insurer will ordinarily be liable under the terms of the policy to the insured. But does a successful defendant have to pursue a claimant in the expectation that the claimant will join the insurer or can the defendant pursue the insurer …
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Costs: The return of Trafigura

Paul Jones discusses issues of proportonality ‘Issues such as proportionality, abandoned claims, costs of funding, success fees and ATE premiums form major elements in many costs disputes and it is helpful to have a current view of these issues.’ The costs dispute following the settlement of the group action against Trafigura, after the alleged illegal …
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Case Report: Jones v Ramshaw [2011] (unreported 5 September 2011)

Liability; psychiatric injury; secondary victims The judge preferred the claimant’s psychiatrist’s diagnosis of PTSD over the defendant’s psychiatrist’s diagnosis of deep grief.This case provides an illuminating consideration of the scope of liability in this difficult area of law. Facts On 2 November 2006, the claimant’s daughter was one of four teenage girls in the back …
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Motorcyclists: Safety first

Richard Cole investigates personal injury claims involving motorcyclists ‘This article concentrates on the more common cases involving motorcyclists, namely accidents that occur through overtaking and at junctions (often with a combination of both).’ Case law emanating from the appellate courts concerning road traffic accidents often involve claims brought by motorcyclists. This may well be because …
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Case Report: Helen Shearer Evans (Executrix of the Estate of Malcolm Evans, Deceased) v (1)Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough (2) Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd [2011] EWHC 2096 (QB)

PUWER; liability for contractors; apportionment between defendants ‘The occupier of a construction site cannot absolve itself of legal responsibility for what happens on the site even though it engages apparently competent contractors.’ This was a first instance decision of David Pitt away QC sitting as a judge of the High Court. The case is noteworthy …
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Hazardous Activities: Climbing accidents: the duty and standard of care

The decision of the High Court in MacIntyre v Ministry of Defence [2011] is reviewed by Matthew White ‘The accident happened outside of the UK, therefore domestic Regulations did not apply and the claim was advanced in negligence only.’ The claimant (C) was an officer serving in the army. He was on a training expedition …
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Motor Claims: A costly business

Andrew Hogan looks at recoverability of ATE premiums under the pre-action protocol for low-value personal injury claims in RTAs ‘A solicitor considering matters reasonably would note: the vast majority of claims will settle within this process where the claimant’s risk to cost is non-existent.’ Cases are starting to reach the assessment process on the single …
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Advocate’s Advice: Accommodating interim payments

Bill Braithwaite QC advises that preparation is the key to successful applications ‘Although there are many different ways of expressing the same concept, claimants must always try to solve their accommodation problems in the cheapest, reasonable way. Because the landscape has changed since Eeles, it is all the more important for claimants to compromise their …
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Recovery: A question of timing

Matthew Hoe highlights authorities that argue interest on costs is payable from quantification and not an order for costs ‘Three recent decisions have challenged the received wisdom that interest on costs runs from the date of the order for costs, and instead have allowed it only from the date the costs were quantified.’ Interest on …
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Surveillance: I spy with my little eye

Sandra De Souza considers the issues that surveillance causes for claimants Insurers are increasingly relying on video surveillance. This is especially true if the claimant’s injuries are significant, or where issues of malingering or fraud are raised. With an increase in social networking over the years, personal injury claimants are under more scrutiny then ever. …
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