Case Reports

A party litigant who was sued by a company over an unpaid invoice has had an appeal against a sheriff’s decision to grant decree by default dismissed after he failed to lodge defences or appear in court to defend the action. The Sheriff Appeal Court ruled that the appellant had “failed to engage

A Scots lawyer who failed to pass on information from the legal aid board to a client in order to progress a medical negligence claim against the NHS has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) also fined Raymond Mallon, 50, for causing his

A Gambian “overstayer” who claimed asylum after becoming liable to deportation following a conviction for a drugs-related offence has successfully challenged the Home Secretary’s decision to reject his application for asylum. The petitioner’s original claim that he was a homosexual and that

A prisoner has been refused permission to appeal against certain aspects of judge’s decision in his legal action against prison authorities for opening letters addressed to him. William Beggs, the so-called “Limbs in the Loch” murderer, is seeking £5,000 damages from the Scottish Ministers ov

A car insurance company which sought to avoid paying a claim on the basis that the owner of the vehicle had given a false address on his application form has had its legal bid to avoid the policy rejected. The motorist had stated on his form that his address was at a house in Giffnock, when there wa

Ms Stephanie Harrison QC and Ms Shu Shin Luh (instructed by Bhatt Murphy) for the 1st – 3rd Claimants; Mr Christopher Buttler and Ms Ayesha Christie (instructed by Duncan Lewis) for the 4th – 8th Claimants;

A party litigant who was seeking to reduce a will has had an application for permission to appeal against a sheriff’s decision to dismiss his claim and award expenses to the other side rejected. A judge in the Court of Session refused leave to appeal after ruling that the grounds of appeal were �

Michael J Mylonas QC, Susanna Rickard and Jamie Mathieson (instructed by Hughes Paddison) for the Claimant; Jeremy Hyam QC and Suzanne Lambert (instructed by Hempsons) for the Defendant; Mark McDonald and Christopher Pask (instructed by Axiom Stone) for the Third Party. A father who claimed that his

There is no obligation on a state signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to allow a foreign national to enter its country to visit family members, appeal judges have ruled. The decision by the Court of Appeal in London came following an application by a Pakistani man who was see

The family of a former shipyard worker who died from an asbestos-related condition have been awarded damages of more than £340,000 after the deceased’s former employers admitted liability. A judge in the Court of Session made an award of £90,000 to the widow of George Manson for “loss of finan

A Scots lawyer who failed to respond to statutory notices which were issued in relation to a complaint that he acted for a client after being suspended from practice has been found guilty of professional misconduct. Paul Thompson was fined £1,000 after the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal

A woman found guilty of assaulting a dog owner with a dog lead has had an appeal against her conviction refused after her case was referred to the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC). The appeal judges rejected the appellant’s claim

A police officer who was found guilty of careless driving after crashing into another vehicle while responding to an emergency call has had an appeal against her conviction and sentence rejected. The Sheriff Appeal Court upheld a sheriff’s decision to convict and impose a fine after ruling that a

A businessman who is suing his former solicitors for $210 million over losses he claims to have sustained following the sale of part of his interest in a company has been awarded interim payment of expenses of £1 million. A judge in the Court of Session, who previously held that the claim by Robert

A Chinese national seeking permission to remain in the United Kingdom on human rights grounds has successfully challenged a decision by the authorities to reject her application. The judge in the Court of Session ruled that the Home Secretary “fell into error” in reaching her decision that the p