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Excess casualty limits doubled
Bermuda-based Allied World Assurance Company (AWAC) has doubled the limit for its qualifying renewals and prospective insureds from US$25mn to US$50mn. AWAC offers excess casualty clients flexible layering opportunities, and focuses on placements..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
E-commerce liability policy from Chubb
Chubb has launched a new insurance policy designed to protect financial institutions from exposure to e-commerce liabilities, such as trademark infringement, defamation and security breaches.
The policy, ‘CyberSecurity by Chubb Liability..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Tort system league table
AIG is to publish a league table of state and county tort systems in the US. The aim is to rank states according to their tort systems. AIG said that in effect, the league tables would illustrate which states and counties were good places to do..
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01 April 2003
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GE see D&O insurance costs soar
General Electric has reported that the cost of its directors’ & officers’ insurance policy has increased dramatically by nearly 390%. The cost of the policy is now US$22.1mn a year compared with just US$5.8mn a year ago. General..
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01 April 2003
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RSA settle asbestos suit
Another asbestos settlement, this time between Royal & SunAlliance (RSA) and Cape, a building materials and insulation company. Cape had sued RSA over payment of claims brought by former employees of Andersons Insulation, a company bought by..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Medicaid funding goes to lawyers
A study by Aon Risk Consultants has revealed that much of the increased Medicaid funding for long term care for seniors and disabled people between 1995 and 2002 has gone to pay the higher costs associated with the greater frequency of lawsuits and..
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01 April 2003
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Growing calls for employers’ liability reform
The review of employers’ liability insurance currently being conducted by the Department of Work & Pensions is attracting more and more calls for radical reform of the system.
The latest call comes from an important and influential..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
The Quid Pro Quo of Wedding Photos
The recent case involving Michael Douglas, his wife Catherine Zeta Jones, and OK! magazine suing Hello! magazine for using paparazzi photographs of their wedding, has highlighted the dangers of selling wedding photo rights to magazines.
The sums..
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01 April 2003
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IBC’s Energy Risk Strategies Conference
Planning investments and managing portfolios in an uncertain climate
28–29 April 2003 • London
With the present uncertainty of the global geo-political and economic climate, companies in the energy sector face increasing challenges...
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01 April 2003
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Liability Underwriters Group Conference
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01 April 2003
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Professional Indemnity 2003
9–11 April 2003 • Queens’ College Cambridge A look at how the market is developing in the current ‘favourable’ environment and examination of some recent and forthcoming developments and their impact on specific..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Conditional fee agreements to be disclosed
A judge has ordered that conditional fee agreements and risk assessments should be disclosed to defendant insurers. In the case, the claimant refused to disclose the details, claiming that the documents were privileged.
The defendant solicitors,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Government announces unified Tribunals Service
Lord Irvine, the Lord Chancellor, has announced a new, unified Tribunals Service, representing the biggest change to the tribunal system in over 40 years. A forthcoming White Paper will set out the proposals which will increase accessibility to..
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01 April 2003
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US casualty risk costs survey from Marsh
US employers spend an average of US$2.45 for every US$1000 of revenues on insurance and other measures to manage their casualty risks. This is from a major report and survey by Marsh covering auto, workers compensation and general liability..
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01 April 2003
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S&P warning over Danish liability claims
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has warned that claims inflation on liability policies in the Danish non-life insurance market looks set to put short-term stress on some companies’ solvency levels.
Standard & Poor’s..
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01 April 2003
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Bodily injury claims costs rising fast
Bodily injury claims costs in the UK have increased at nearly three times the rate of national average earnings, according to a new study by the International Underwriters Association (IUA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The survey..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Market review from Heath Lambert
In its latest annual review of the insurance market, Heath Lambert says that underwriters are being more selective in the risks that they write, while buyers are being just as selective in their choice of insurer.
Underwriters are being increasingly..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Berkley forms new UK casualty insurer
WR Berkley Corporation is to form a new insurance company in the UK. The company is expected to be based in London and will specialise principally in writing domestic UK casualty risks. It is thought the new insurer will commence operations in the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Agency radio failure
The chaos on the roads during the January snow storms, in which thousands of motorists were stranded on the M11 and the M25 was partly due to a radio failure between gritting lorries. The Highways Agency has admitted that a breakdown in..
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01 April 2003
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Jail term for drivers on phone
The Sentencing Advisory Panel has recommended a five year jail term for drivers who kill whilst using a mobile phone. The Panel said that death by dangerous driving should carry a custodial sentence of five years, rising to a maximum of 10 years for..
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01 April 2003
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Hands-free phone risk
A study in the March issue of The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied has suggested that hands-free cell phones cause just as much distraction as hand-held devices. The problem of inattention blindness in drivers using cell phones is not..
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01 April 2003
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Surveyors facing ‘hindsight’ evidence
Surveyors could be facing a new wave of claims following a recent judgement which allowed the introduction of ‘hindsight’ evidence. The case involved a surveyor’s report which failed to spot structural defects due to movement.
The..
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01 April 2003
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Higgs proposals attacked
The Higgs proposals have been predictably attacked for being too prescriptive. The Institute of Directors, chairman of leading companies, the CBI and others have slammed the proposals, in particular the extra powers for a senior non-executive..
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01 April 2003
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Helping sick employees back to work
A pilot research project has been launched to find new ways of helping sick workers keep their jobs. The Job Retention & Rehabilitation Pilot, funded by the Department for Work & Pensions in partnership with the Department of Health, will..
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01 April 2003
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UK tackles workplace drinking
A report from the UK’s TUC has warned that few employers have alcohol policies in place to tackle problems arising from their employees’ drinking habits, despite the fact that people are drinking more than ever before.
The Cabinet Office..
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01 April 2003
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Ties at work – discrimination cases disagree
Two separate cases have simply served to further confuse the issue of dress codes at work. Both concern the issue of sex discrimination and the wearing of ties. In the first, a civil servant won a sex discrimination case over a dress code at his..
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01 April 2003
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CBI calls for curbs on compensation culture
The CBI has entered the debate over the high cost of business insurance with a call for government to bring in ‘urgent new curbs on the compensation culture as part of a bid to contain unsustainable rises in business insurance..
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01 April 2003
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Discrimination warning on monitoring
The Work Foundation has issued a warning to UK employers that they could be leaving themselves open to discrimination payouts of millions of pounds from job seekers by failing to monitor job applicants for race, sex and age.
A survey,..
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01 April 2003
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New guidance on musculoskeletal disorders
The Health & Safety Executive has published new guidance on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), such as backaches or repetitive strain injury (RSI) at work.
Advice on using laptops and working with a computer mouse is available in ‘The law..
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01 April 2003
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HSE launches occupational asthma website
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new website with advice on how to reduce occupational asthma. The site is aimed at employers, safety representatives and health professionals.
It is part of the Health & Safety..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
MoD pays damages to pilot family
The Ministry of Defence has paid damages of £320,000 to the family of a pilot killed in an air crash. The Royal Navy pilot was killed with his crew member when his Harrier jet crashed into a hillside. It was claimed that he was not used to the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Villagers to sue for psychiatric injury
A number of villagers who claim to have suffered mental injuries after a plane crashed near their homes are seeking compensation. A Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed shortly after take off from Stansted Airport in December 1999.
The 13 Essex..
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01 April 2003
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Salvage companies condemn proposals
The president of the American Salvage Association, and former president of the International Salvage Union (ISU), has condemned proposals to make salvage companies criminally liable for their role in marine environmental disasters.
Arnold Witte,..
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01 April 2003
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Bhopal lawsuit dismissed
A lawsuit from 1999 against Union Carbide relating to the Bhopal gas leak has been dismissed by a US district judge in New York because of the time that had passed, and the actions already taken by the company. The lawsuit was an attempt to revive..
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01 April 2003
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Clean up costs not damages
An appeal court in California has upheld a ruling that San Diego county should not be indemnified for the costs incurred in an environmental clean-up by ACE Property & Casualty. The ruling held that the insurance policy defined damages as sums..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Pentagon wants environmental protection
The Pentagon is seeking protection from US environmental legislation, and the Bush administration is believed to be proposing legislation to this effect, covering the Pentagon and some defence companies. In particular, there is concern over..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
US states sue EPA over carbon dioxide emissions
A number of US states have filed a lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failure to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The lawsuit argues that the current policy on emissions violates the Clean Air Act...
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Silverstein sues Zurich American
Zurich American Insurance is being sued by Larry Silverstein because he claims the insurer is trying to avoid paying defence and liability costs for claims being brought against his company, World Trade Center (WTC) Properties in relation to the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
New York faces US$12bn lawsuit costs
Michael Cardozo, New York City’s corporation counsel, has warned that the city could be hit by settlement costs of around US$12bn from lawsuits being filed by the city’s firefighters following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the..
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01 April 2003
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Workers’ comp cost control measures
A survey of US employers has found that average workers’ compensation costs increased by 20% during 2001, rising to US$1.80 per US$100 of payroll from US$1.50 a year earlier.
The ‘2002 Survey of Employers’ Time-Off and Disability..
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01 April 2003
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Night club fire lawsuits
Legal actions have begun in relation to the night club fire in the US that resulted in the death of 99 people and injuries to a further 180. The families of two of the dead people have filed lawsuits against the owners of the club, the band and..
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01 April 2003
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Unfair competition with sexual favours
The Korea Supply Company (KSC) is to sue US company Lockheed Martin for allegedly using sexual favours and bribes to win a South Korean defence contract. The case involves a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin which it is claimed used one of its employees..
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01 April 2003
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US employment discrimination figures
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has revealed that charge filings alleging employment discrimination in the private sector increased by 4.5% in the year ended 30 September 2002.
The Commission resolved 95,222 private sector charge..
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01 April 2003
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US class action suits up by 31%
A study carried by the Stanford Law School in the US has found that securities class-action lawsuits filed against US corporations grew by 31% in 2002, to a total of 224 lawsuits. The study said that the increasing number of such lawsuits appears to..
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01 April 2003
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Gun manufacturers can be sued
Newark, Camden and Jersey City have been given the go-ahead to file lawsuits seeking to hold gun manufacturers liable for health costs and other public expenses related to gun violence. The Appellate Division of the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Asbestos settlement for AFG
A settlement has been agreed between Great American Insurance, a subsidiary of American Financial Group, and bankrupt company AP Green Industries over asbestos-related litigation.
The insurer agreed to a US$123.5mn pre-tax settlement of..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Halliburton settlement gets 75% acceptance
US oil group Halliburton has said that 75% of plaintiffs in asbestos-related lawsuits against its subsidiary DII Industries and DII’s Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) unit have accepted the global US$4bn settlement proposed by Halliburton last..
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01 April 2003
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Banning unimpaired claims not a panacea
US senator Don Nickles has introduced legislation designed to stem the recent flood of asbestos-related lawsuits. The Nickles bill includes criteria to determine whether a claimant qualifies to file a suit. The bill delays the statute of limitations..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Mental anguish claim for asbestosis upheld
The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Federal Employers’ Liability Act does not ban lawsuits involving asbestosis sufferers who do not have any signs of asbestos-related cancer claiming for mental anguish.
The case, Norfolk & Southern..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Tobacco firm wins single case
A US District Court jury has returned a verdict in favour of tobacco company Philip Morris USA. The family of a smoker who died in 1999 was seeking more than US$5.2mn in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages.
A spokesman for Philip Morris said..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
UK urged to control passive smoking
The TUC, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) are calling on the government to accept the long-delayed Health & Safety Commission’s Approved Code of Practice, or ACoP, on passive..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
UK tobacco advertising ban comes in
The UK’s Tobacco Advertising & Promotion Act came into effect on 14 February, and all tobacco advertising is now banned. This includes adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on billboards and on the Internet. It also bans free samples...
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01 April 2003
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Tobacco industry sued for US$289bn
The US Justice Department has revealed that its lawsuit against the tobacco industry for the alleged fraudulent marketing of cigarettes aims to recover US$289bn. The companies involved, Philip Morris, Brown & Williamson, Lorillard, RJ Reynolds..
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01 April 2003
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Mobile phone EMFs damage neurons in rats
A study has found for the first time that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by certain mobile phones damaged neurons in the brains of rats. The study, published in ‘Environmental Health Perspectives’, involved 12- to 26-week-old rats..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Foot-and-mouth committee critical
The Public Accounts Committee has criticised the government’s handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis, pointing to ‘inexcusable mistakes.’ The Committee said that the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
CJD scare hospital cleared
The hospital at the centre of a CJD scare has been cleared by an inquiry, which found that it had followed the correct procedures for using surgical instruments. The scare occurred when 24 patients were operated on with equipment which had been used..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
BSE breakthrough test
State television in Italy has reported that Italian researchers are developing a test to detect BSE in live animals which could speed up the diagnosis and avoid the mass slaughter of cattle. The test involves taking a sample of nasal mucus, rather..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
vCJD vaccine on the way?
Research by a team of scientists from Imperial College, London may produce a vaccine against the human form of BSE. The scientists have discovered that monoclonal antibodies can neutralise rogue prion proteins in mice. These proteins cause BSE and..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Peanut allergy triggered by skin cream
A study has suggested that peanut allergy may be triggered by the use of skin creams containing peanut oil. The study by Bristol University researchers, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine
, involved 14,000 children born in the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
School trousers inflamed eczema
The parent of a young boy is taking his school to a tribunal under the new Disability Discrimination Act because it would not allow him to wear pure cotton trousers, despite his severe eczema. The regulation trousers, made of wool, inflamed the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Unnecessary operation claim thrown out
A claim for more than £700,000 in damages, based on allegations of an unnecessary operation, has been thrown out by the Appeal Court. The man had a tracheotomy operation to deal with sleep apnoea, which causes breathlessness and heavy snoring,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Surgeons fail to reduce blood exposure
A study by the University of Alberta has found that US surgeons are failing to adopt ‘double gloving’ as a precaution against exposure to blood and body fluids while operating. Double gloving is a safety measure which decreases the risk..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Health Act in US
The House of Representatives has passed a bill reforming the medical malpractice liability system in the US. In a particularly corny move, the bill is called the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost Timely Healthcare Act – or HEALTH Act. The..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Critical long term care report from Ombudsman
The Health Service Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, has published a report, ‘NHS Funding for Long Term Care’, which has criticised a number of health authorities and trusts. The report contains the results of four investigations into complaints..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Car parking chaos hits hospital
A hospital in Wales was forced to postpone surgery because staff were unable to park their cars and were late for work. A new car parking arrangement was introduced at the hospital which reduced the number of spaces for staff. The result was that..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Bayer insurance may not cover all Baycol lawsuits
Bayer has admitted that it could incur charges in excess of its insurance coverage in relation to lawsuits over Baycol. The company says that around 8400 suits have been filed, but adds that 4600 of which ‘are virtually identical complaints..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Alder Hey settlement details released
The details of the mediated settlement in the Royal Liverpool Children’s Litigation have been announced. Just under £5mn is to be paid to the 1146 claimants who have accepted the settlement (the settlement was £5mn for all claimants,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Compensation for fisherman only
A whelk processing company denied right to recover loss of profits from the International Oil Pollution Fund 1971. A fishing ban to prevent health hazards resulting from a crude oil spill had been imposed. The fund was only designed to compensate..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Minimum wage decision
An employment tribunal should decide whether an employee was involved in ‘time work’ or ‘unmeasured work’ when working out whether the minimum wage was being complied with. A care worker claimed to have done ‘time..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Gurkhas not discriminated against
The British Army did not discriminate against its Nepalese soldiers in relation to pensions. The position of British servicemen and Gurkhas was not comparable, since British soldiers would generally retire to the UK, while Gurkhas would retire to..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
No liability for harbour owner
Man who went for a midnight swim in Folkestone harbour, hit his head on a submerged object, broke his neck becoming tetraplegic, sued the harbour owner. Judge said claimant had contributed to the accident by his own negligence and could receive only..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Verbal notice valid
Verbal notification that proceedings had commenced made by a claimant to an insurer in relation to a road traffic accident was valid, provided it was made to an appropriate person, which could include a legal secretary employed by the solicitors of..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Only underwriting fee recoverable
Under a cost order, the whole premium paid for litigation protection insurance policies, where it included amounts other than the underwriting fee, could not be recovered. The amounts charged by the underwriters for the risk (an indemnity where a..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Unfair dismissal and common law issue
A teacher who was suspended for four years and then dismissed for allegedly acting in a sexually inappropriate way with some girl pupils, won statutory compensation for unfair dismissal. During the four years he developed psychiatric problems caused..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Social security commissioner’s decision final
In deciding the date at which a claimant began to suffer from a prescribed industrial disease, a social security commissioner’s decision was final. The claim was for disability benefit and reduced earnings benefit.
Whalley v Secretary of State..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Receiving fraudulent money not conspiracy
A person receiving money that they knew had been obtained through a fraudulent misrepresentation was not necessarily a party to conspiracy to defraud, according to the law on the tort of conspiracy to injure. The claimants had argued that anyone..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Comparison required for sex discrimination
Sex discrimination case dismissed on the grounds that the facts of the males involved were different to those of the female case and therefore they did not provide a valid comparison. Female chief inspector prevented from doing staff appraisals..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Another IVF paternity case
A man whose wife was accidentally given sperm from a different man during in vitro fertilisation treatment could not have parental status when his wife gave birth. The judgement was based on the man having not consented to the placing of the embryo..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Paternity issue in IVF case
The issue of paternity under the Human Fertilisation & Embryo Act 1990 is based on the time when the embryo, or sperm and eggs, were placed in the womb. As a result, in this case, a man (who was not the genetic father, nor married to the woman)..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Mentally handicapped patient loses child case
A mentally handicapped patient became pregnant whilst in a mixed hospital ward. The patient’s mother took over responsibility for the child. The patient sued the NHS Trust for the costs of looking after the child on the grounds of negligence..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Asylum seeker’s human rights
An asylum seeker whose application was initially refused as a result of an administrative error, and was then delayed for no apparent or good reason, was entitled to seek damages under the Human Rights Act 1998, for a depressive order, and for..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Disability discrimination ruling
Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of the Employment Appeal Tribunal that an employee had been unfairly dismissed and unlawfully discriminated against on the grounds of disability. The employee left work on sick leave because of depression, and a..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Appeal against teachers’ industrial action dismissed
The House of Lords dismissed an appeal from a pupil (and his mother) relating to an attempt to get an injunction against two teaching unions to prevent them from taking industrial action. The issue involved a head teacher who had instructed his..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Negligent advice from auditors
An auditor’s duty to its client can include cases where the advice given to the client on its financial position was negligent, resulting in the client giving larger bonuses to shareholders and policyholders than it would have done if it had..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
No appeal for bankrupt
The claimant lodged a notice of appeal in an employment tribunal case, involving unfair dismissal, breach of contract, wrongful dismissal and disability discrimination, which was thrown out by the tribunal. But the claimant was declared bankrupt..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Driver wins in car clamping case
Compensation of nearly £9500 has been paid to a motorist by a clamping company after it towed his car and then demanded thousands of pounds for its return. The RAC described this as a ‘landmark decision.’
His car was clamped and he..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Enhanced pension lawful
A council officer’s enhanced pension as a result of a long service award was lawful on the condition that it reflected the officer’s continued worth as an employee, was made in order to attract staff, dissuade staff from leaving, and was..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Legal costs cut in fast track injury case
Case involved a man awarded £500 in compensation for injuries sustained in a minor road accident – including anxiety and soft tissue injuries to leg and elbow, and an order for his legal costs of over £7000. The Court of Appeal found..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Human rights damages same as tort
Damages up to £4000 for eight claimants based on breaches of human rights. Judgment stated that damages for breaches of human rights in statute should be no lower than they would be for a comparable tort. They should reflect, as far as..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
£100,000 award for stress
A prison clerk has been awarded £100,000 for stress after witnessing a training exercise by prison officers in which they held a colleague hostage. She believed it was an armed gang who threatened to kill a nurse at the prison. The claimant..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Flying sheep head cracks skull
A rock music fan is suing a Norwegian group, Mayhem, for damages after his skull was fractured at a concert. The fan was hit by a sheep’s head which flew into the crowd as a sheep was being cut into pieces on stage by the lead singer of the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Baby oil slip up
A social club was sued by a woman who broke her wrist after falling on the dance floor of the club, after claiming to have slipped on baby oil used by a male stripper in his act at the club. The 51 year old woman lost her claim for compensation of..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Forced retirement claim
A group of 22 former civil servants are making a claim for unfair dismissal after they were forced to retire at 60. The claimants worked for the Contributions Agency and have taken their case to an employment tribunal. The age of retirement was..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Damages award criticised by Appeal Court
A former broker who won US$25mn in punitive damages from an arbitration panel after claiming his reputation had been damaged after he was fired from his firm, has had his award thrown out. An appeal court in New York State said that the arbitration..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Cerebral palsy damages
A child who ended up with cerebral palsy after a delay of three weeks in inducing his birth, has received damages of £3.75mn from the Weston Area NHS Trust and United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust, which admitted liability. The child is now..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Brothers in heart case settlement
Great Ormond Street Hospital has paid an undisclosed settlement to three brothers of a young girl who died after heart surgery at the hospital. The hospital had admitted responsibility for her death previously when paying damages for post-traumatic..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Hotel settles deaf discrimination suit
A US hotel has settled an employment discrimination lawsuit for US$75,000. The suit was brought by a qualified deaf job applicant who was refused employment on the basis of her deafness. The deaf woman was denied a room service job, and was offered..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Sexual harassment settlement
Four women who filed sexual harassment complaints against the former president of an airline consulting firm in New York have been paid US$2.3mn in a settlement of the lawsuit. It was alleged that certain female employees were subjected to a hostile..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Gay sauna visit therapeutic
A man sacked from an engineering company for regularly visiting gay saunas during the day has received £450,000 in damages for unfair dismissal. The man was fired from his £118,000 a year job as managing director after he was followed by a..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Budweiser not Bud in UK
The US brewers of Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch, cannot use the name ‘Bud’ to describe their beer, as this is owned by state-owned Czech brewers, Budejovicky Budvar. This was the verdict of three law lords in a case in which the US brewer,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Catholic church in sex abuse settlement
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, is to pay US$880,000 to 23 plaintiffs, with payments averaging US$25,000 per person, in a settlement over charges that priests sexually abused young parishioners during the 1960s, 1970s and the..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
DuPont settles for US$77mn
DuPont has agreed to pay around US$77mn in a settlement to settle a 1995 shareholder class action lawsuit related to Benlate fungicide. The class action was brought by shareholders accusing the company of making misleading statements and omissions..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
US$16.5mn compensation claim settled out of court
A major employee compensation claim has been settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. An investment banker at Lehman Brothers had claimed US$16.5mn in bonuses. He claimed that the bank reneged on a contract to pay him bonuses related to debts..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Crohn’s disease employment lawsuit
An employee with Crohn’s disease who was sacked by a waste management company has received a settlement of US$194,000 in full back wages and compensatory damages. The employee filed an employment discrimination lawsuit under the Americans with..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Hatfield families to go to court
The families of those killed in the Hatfield rail crash are being forced to go to court to claim compensation because no offers of settlement have been forthcoming. Liability has reportedly been accepted by Railtrack but claims have yet be settled,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Mistaken FBI most wanted may sue
The man who was accused of being one of the FBI’s most wanted men is considering suing the FBI over wrongful imprisonment. The British pensioner was held for three weeks in a South African cell on charges of being involved in a major fraud in..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Climbie parents to sue authorities
The parents of Victoria Climbie are to sue the Metropolitan Police, three councils and two hospital trusts, over the murder of their daughter. She was killed through the abuse and neglect of her great-aunt and her boyfriend, both of whom were jailed..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Def Jam sued for club shooting
Def Jam Records is being sued by the mother of a man shot dead at a club where the record label was hosting a party for its artists. The dead man, an alleged gang member, was involved in a fight in the club when a gun was pulled and he was shot..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Deception ploy criticised but allowed
The use of private investigators by insurers who enter the premises of compensation claimants in disguise has been criticised by the lord chief justice, Lord Woolf. He said it was an invasion of privacy. A ruling by the Court of Appeal criticised..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Overtime pay class action
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Facial disfigurement discrimination
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act against a McDonald’s restaurant in Alabama.
The suit says that McDonald’s..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
FSA immunity challenged
Class Law is to challenge the civil immunity of Financial Services Authority (FSA) with an approach to the European Commission. The move is over the collapse of Independent Insurance. Class Law is leading a class action on behalf of shareholders,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Iceland drops claim against Guyana
Iceland, the frozen food company, has dropped a £12mn compensation claim against Guyana, one of the poorer nations in the world. The claim dates back to 1976 when the country nationalised a number of large sugar plantations owned by Booker,..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
SNCF sued over holocaust transportation
The French railway company SNCF is being sued by a man who lost both parents in the Holocaust. He is suing the railway for transporting his parents to concentration camps during Word War II. The company believes that the case may lead to a number of..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003
Rugby player can sue for damages
An amateur rugby player has been given the go-ahead to sue the Welsh Rugby Union for damages. The Court of Appeal found that the referee in an amateur rugby game was to blame. The player’s back was damaged in a scrum, resulting in paralysis..
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01 April 2003
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153 - 01 April 2003