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On the cusp of Uranus (and other jokes)
Do you believe in horoscopes? No, me neither. Too much “Well, you are Cancerian, but you’re on the cusp of Pisces” and talk of birthcharts. Also, let’s face it, can we really put the entire human population (not to mention..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Managing liability in the food and beverage sector
By Marsh
Online Published Date:
01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
APIL welcomes Law Society findings
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has said that the Law Society’s findings into clients’ attitudes about bringing claims without the benefit of legal advice has added to the arguments against increasing the small claims..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Fast and Fair - Law Society proposals for low value claims
The Law Society has published Fast and Fair - its proposals for lower value personal injury claims which it says will avoid the need to increase the small claims limit. The new streamlined track is for all personal injury claims under £10,000..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Limits drop in technology, media and telecommunications sector
A softening market has seen the price of insurance limits in the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) sector drop by almost 20% in the past two years, according to Marsh.
A new Marsh report, “Managing liability in the technology,..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Willis on reinsurance renewals: “The Tipping Point?”
Willis has released its reinsurance review of the marketplace for the January 1, 2007 renewals entitled “The Tipping Point?” The report reveals that rates for both property and casualty exposures are generally flat or falling modestly...
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
New claims investigation company launched
Premex Group, a provider of medical reports and rehabilitation services to the legal profession and the insurance industry, has launched a new claims investigation company, Premex Insight.
The new company will offer a wide range of specialist..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Britain’s most feared motorists: Boy Racer and White Van Man
Research from Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA) has shown that ‘white van man’ and ‘boy racers’ are Britain’s most feared motorists. The survey showed that nearly a quarter of pedestrians (24%) fear younger drivers the..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
NHS recovery scheme warning for insurers
The new NHS recovery scheme, due to take effect on 29 January 2007, allowing the NHS to recover costs associated with most personal injury claims, could have a much greater impact than the insurance industry is expecting, according to law firm..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
NHSLA reveals true number of MRSA cases
It has been revealed that the number of cases in which the NHS has paid out in hospital-acquired infection compensation claims is 10 times higher than previously thought. Figures from the NHS Litigation Authority figures show there have been 68..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Compensation payments to teachers in Scotland
Figures released by the Educational Institute of Scotland, the largest teaching union in Scotland, show that in the last year, injuries to teachers and lecturers resulting from accidents or assaults during working hours have lead to total..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
DRC review on nursing, teaching and social work training
Current guidelines used to determine whether people can train and practise as teachers, nurses and social workers are likely to fall foul of anti-discrimination laws, according to an independent legal review.
The review forms part of the Disability..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Directors and Officers Index from Willis
Willis has revealed that, in contrast to the Summer 2006 publication of the Willis Directors and Officers Index, response to the third quarter’s survey has shown early signs of a stabilisation in premium rates ahead. After well over two years..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Brit launches Charity Protection Indemnity Policy
Brit Insurance has announced the expansion of its suite of Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) products with the launch of a new Charity Protection Indemnity Policy. The policy provides a mix of entity, legal expenses and individual..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Solicitor’s Indemnity Fund pays back more to members
The Law Society has announced that surplus contributions to the Solicitor’s Indemnity Fund (SIF) continue to be paid back to members. More than £50mn will be refunded by September 2007.
According to a new report from the Law Society,..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
HSE warns hairdressers over dermatitis
Salon owners are being warned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that unless they change their working practices they could lose their best staff to dermatitis. The HSE said that its “Bad Hand Day?” campaign has a stark message for..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
HSC to consult on merger with HSE
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published a public consultation document seeking views on merging HSC and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into a single health and safety authority.
HSC believes that merger with HSE will modernise its..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Aviation premiums continue to fall
Premium reductions in the aviation sector continued in December, the busiest month for aviation renewals, with an average fall of 23%, according to Aon Aviation. At the halfway stage December was on track to be the third month in a row that premium..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Extra $1bn excess of loss capacity for P&I Clubs
According to a report in Lloyd’s List, an extra $1bn of cover may be added to the excess of loss policy of the International Group of P&I Clubs, the world’s largest reinsurance contract, in February 2007. The newspaper said that..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
S&P maintains stable outlook for P&I clubs
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is maintaining its stable outlook for protection & indemnity (P&I) clubs although the industry risk associated with the sector is moderately high, according to two reports published today..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Willis survey on UK environmental insurance market
Environmental risks are notoriously difficult to accurately quantify, verify and manage leaving clients asking the question, “How much cover should I buy?”
It is therefore interesting to note that the latest trend in the UK environmental..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
DEFRA consultation response on Directive urged by Aon
Aon Limited is urging UK businesses to take part in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) consultation on the EC Environmental Liability Directive (ELD). The deadline for comments is 16 February 2007.
The ELD is due to be..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Trial lawyers dispute ATRA’s “propaganda”
The American Association for Justice (AAJ), formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, has rather predictably slammed the ATRA judicial hellholes report as “just another slick piece of propaganda in their on-going campaign..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Annual Judicial Hellholes report published in US
The American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) has released its annual Judicial Hellholes report, “shining a bright spotlight on America’s worst jurisdictions in which to face a lawsuit.” The latest report names the entire state of..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
US tort costs totalled $261bn in 2005
According to the “2006 Update on US Tort Cost Trends” from the Tillinghast business of Towers Perrin, US tort costs totalled $261bn in 2005, which is approximately $880 per person and $4 less per person than in 2004. The..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
New vCJD epidemic warning over contaminated blood
Thousands of people are reported to be at risk from an outbreak of variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease spread by contaminated blood or infected surgical instruments, according to a story in The Times.
An analysis of the death of a third patient after a..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Chubb responds to ESG report
Chubb Insurance has responded to the Expert Scientific Group report. Chris Tait, European Life Science Underwriting Manager at Chubb Insurance said: “I am disappointed that the ESG has given risk transfer via insurance a cursory mention in the..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Report on improving safety of phase 1 clinical trials
The group established to make recommendations on improving the safety of phase 1 clinical trials, has published its final report. The independent Expert Scientific Group (ESG) was convened by the Secretary of State for Health to examine trials..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
New cases of MRSA cause concern
The Health Protection Agency has revealed that eight cases of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive community-associated MRSA have been identified among individuals in a hospital and their close household contacts in the West Midlands region...
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Claimant forced to pay back compensation for two claims
A man who was awarded compensation for two accident claims has been forced to pay it back after it was found that he failed to reveal details of previous accidents.
The man was exposed as a serial claimant who failed to disclose some previous..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Manhole cover claim successful
A woman had successfully claimed damages for an injury arising out of an accident when she was walking down a busy London street and stepped on a manhole cover, which tilted, causing her foot to fall into the manhole. The Highway Authority appealed..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Second expert can be used in special circumstances
A woman, a self-employed consultant, was injured in two road traffic accidents suffering whiplash injuries. As a result of the accident she claimed that her injuries had rendered her unfit for work for more than three days a week and that..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
U-turn should not have been attempted
The claimant had attempted to perform a U-turn from the nearside of the carriageway. A car drove past, but a second car hit the claimant causing catastrophic injuries. It was alleged that the defendant was speeding. The trial Judge dismissed the..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
No contribution from main contractor
An employer of a fatally injured worker was not entitled to contribution from main contractor or occupier of the premises, the Court of Appeal ruled. A contractor was engaged by a hotel company to undertake work at their hotel premises. The..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Chief constable vicariously liable for torts committed by officers
A chief constable was vicariously liable for torts committed by his officers and, in appropriate circumstances, juries could award a claimant both aggravated and, under section 88 of the Police Act 1996, exemplary damages where a claim was made..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Loss of liberty is form of special damage
Loss of liberty was a form of special damage capable of supporting a claim for misfeasance in public office if the other ingredients of the tort were made out. Where a prisoner was moved from an open prison to a closed prison, the residual loss of..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£85,000 award against former solicitor
After taking legal action against his former solicitor for professional negligence, a data storage librarian has been awarded £85,000. After injuring his shoulder at work lifting heavy boxes filled with data tapes, the man brought a personal..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£60,426 for fall at work
A court has awarded £60,426 in compensation to a kitchen assistant who was injured after a fall at work. The woman was startled by noises and lights from a faulty hot drinks vending machine causing her to jump backwards. She broke her hip and..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Transsexual wins sexual discrimination case
A transsexual has been awarded £64,862 compensation after a tribunal found that she had endured verbal and physical harassment at work. The transsexual was a crew member working on a ferry in the engine room. After two years of abuse, she was..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Award for racial discrimination and unfair dismissal
A leisure centre has been forced to pay more than £100,000 to an Iraqi-born employee for racial and disability discrimination and unfair dismissal. The employee complained to his employers when two white men, who refused to share a whirlpool..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£63,000 for racial discrimination
A black worker has won £63,000 for racial discrimination by his employers in an education company. A tribunal ruled that the man had been racially discriminated against by senior managers. His pay had been docked, and there had been delays in..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£4.75mn for disability at birth
A boy who was left severely disabled at birth has been awarded more than £4.75mn in compensation. The 12-year-old boy has cerebral palsy and is wholly dependent on a wheelchair and unable to speak. The hospital had advised a home birth, but had..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£140,000 for back injury on ferry
An electrical craftsman who injured his back during an accident on a night ferry has won for £140,000 in compensation. The man was travelling back to Portsmouth having been working away from home in Jersey. He was travelling on the night ferry..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Cancer misdiagnosis compensation
The family of a woman who was misdiagnosed with cancer has received £10,000 in compensation from an NHS hospital trust. The woman, who had already survived breast cancer, spent a number of years believing she was dying from bone cancer. She..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Award for woman sacked after argument
An employment tribunal has awarded £2,499 in compensation for unfair dismissal to a Post Office assistant manager who had been made redundant after four years of employment. The woman claimed that she had had an argument with her boss who had..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£3.2mn damages for head injury
A man has been awarded £3.2mn in damages for a severe head injury which he claimed caused sexual problems and seriously affected his relationship with his wife. The accident occurred at work when the man fell from a gantry. He recovered from..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
£190,000 compensation for former soldier
A former soldier who suffered a career-ending injury during surgery has been awarded £190,000 compensation for the injury, loss of earnings and earnings capacity, and loss of pension, after being discharged from the Army.
He suffered a..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Discrimination over conversion to Islam
An employment tribunal has ruled that a Muslim woman had suffered discrimination at work when her boss made comments about her decision to convert to Islam. She said she was humiliated by her boss’s remarks. The tribunal said the company had..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
Compensation for widow of cyclist
The widow of a British Cycling member has won a substantial six-figure compensation sum after he was killed when he was hit by a car whilst out on a club run. Having initially admitted liability on behalf of the responsible motorist, his insurers..
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01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007
“Compensation fast and air” – the Law Society proposals
Opponents of any change to the current limit for personal injury cases on the small claims track, as proposed by insurers, claim to be winning the argument following a survey carried out by the Law Society.
The research from the Law Society has..
Online Published Date:
01 January 2007
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197 - 01 January 2007