Case Summaries

A (A Juvenile) v R

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

A was seen to have spat on a police officer’s rain jacket, during the course of being escorted from one location to another. The rain coat was used as… ...

A and Others v UK – Belmarsh Case

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The case concerned the indefinite detention of foreign prisoners in the United Kingdom prison ‘Belmarsh’. The prisoners were held without trial under section 23 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. ...

A v B [2002] 2 All ER 545

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant, A, was a professional footballer who sought an injunction against the defendant newspaper, B, from publishing details… ...

A v UK – 1998

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

A, a nine year old boy, was discovered to have numerous bruises following an examination by a paediatrician, which indicated that… ...

A-G Ref (No 1 of 1983)

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The defendant was a policewoman who was mistakenly paid an extra £74 in her wages by direct debit into her bank account. The employer made no… ...

A-G v Whelan

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Mr Whelan was convicted of handling stolen goods. It was found that he had acted under a threat of death or immediate violence. ...

A-G’s Ref (No 3 of 1994)

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

B stabbed his pregnant girlfriend, who then prematurely gave birth to S. S was wounded in the stabbing and died after 121 days after being born prematurely. ...

Abbey National Building Society v Cann

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The first defendant, George Cann, applied for a mortgage from a building society to buy a house. However, unknown… ...

Abbott v Abbott [2007]

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Beneficial ownership of matrimonial home; mortgage instalments; gift from husband’s mother. ...

Adam Opel GmbH v Mitras Automotive

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Mitras was in the business of manufacturing automotive parts and was the sole supplier of a particular part. Adam decided to source the part… ...

Adams v Lindsell

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The case of Adams v Lindsell (1818) 1 B & Ald 681 is taught to university law students when studying offer and acceptance. It is often thought by students to have set a rather strange precedent. ...

Adams v Rhymney Valley District Council

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The Court held that the defendant had exercised reasonable skill and care, and produced a design which other professionals had also produced and used. ...

Addiscombe Garden Estates v Crabbe

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Agreement to occupy clubhouse and tennis courts; whether lease or license ...

Adealon International v Merton LBC

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Adealon’s predecessor in title B Ltd, owned land by a highway, but there was no access to this road from B… ...

Adoption | Family Law Study Area | Law Teacher

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Adoption. An adoption order made by an ‘authorised court’ (that is, a Family Proceedings Court, a County Court or the High Court) transfers a child from one family to another by vesting parental ...

AG for Northern Ireland v Gallagher

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Whether Gallagher was insane at the time of killing or was incapable of forming an intent necessary to constitute murder as he was drunk. Secondly, whether the M’Naughten test had been correctly applied. ...

AG Securities v Vaughan – 1990

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

AG Securities possessed a long lease of a four bedroom property which was rented to Vaughan and three other individuals. Each tenant signed individual agreements on four separate occasions to lease the property. ...

AG v Jonathan Cape [1976]

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Between 1964 and 1970 a Cabinet Minister, with the knowledge of his Cabinet colleagues, kept a diary recording… ...

Agreement Case Summaries – Formation, Acceptance, Termination

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Agreement case summaries covering formation of a contract, acceptance and termination of an offer. Payne v Cave (1789) – The defendant made the highest bid for the plaintiff’s goods at an auction sale, but he withdrew his bid before the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer. ...

Ahmad and others v UK (2013) 56 EHRR 1

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Case Summary of Ahmad and others v United Kingdom (2013) 56 EHRR 1. Extradition and Article 3 of the ECHR. ...

Ailsa Craig Fishing Ltd v Malvern Fishing

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant kept their vessels in a harbour, which was guarded under an agreement requiring the defendant to protect the vessels in the harbour… ...

Aircool Installations v British Telecommunications

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant was a manufacturer of air conditioning equipment and subcontracted another firm to install the equipment in the premises of the defendant. ...

Airedale NHS Trust v Bland

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Doctors have a duty to act in the best interests of their patients but this does not necessarily require them to prolong life. On the basis that there was no potential for improvement, the treatment Bland was receiving was deemed not to be in his best interests. ...

Akici v LR Butlin Ltd [2006]

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The claimant was the tenant of a commercial lease of premises which contained a covenant preventing the sub-lease… ...

Alan v El Nasr

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

This case concerns the sale of coffee beans between a Kenyan coffee business (A) and a Tanzanian based buyer (El Nasr), who then resold the product. ...

Albert v MIB Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Q regularly gave his co-workers lifts to and from work in his car over a period of more than eight years, and received payments for this ...

Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

A joined action was brought by Alcock (C) and several other claimants against the head of the South Yorkshire Police. C and the other claimants all had relatives who were caught up in the Hillsborough Stadium disaster, in which 95 fans of Liverpool FC died. ...

Alderslade v Hendon Laundry Ltd

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant sent certain items to the defendant’s laundry so that they may be washed. Of those, ten large handkerchiefs were lost. ...

Alexander Barton v Armstrong

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Barton and Armstrong were major company shareholders. Following a meeting, it was agreed that Barton would buy Armstrong’s interest. Barton and Armstrong had an agreement drawn up and it was executed. ...

Alexander v Home Office – 1988

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant was a prisoner who had been racially discriminated against in his initial assessment by the prison officer and in various applications… ...

Alexander v Mercouris

Example case summary. Last modified: 11th Jan 2024

A case examining the liability of parties under contract law, particularly in the realm of services that have been promised but subsequently not rendered. ...

Alexander v North Eastern Railway

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The plaintiff had been convicted of riding a train from Leeds without having purchased a valid ticket. The penalty was a fine… ...

Alexander v Rayson

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The plaintiff, Alexander, agreed to rent a flat in Piccadilly to the defendant, Mrs. Rayson, at a rent of £1200 a year. This included the provision of… ...

Alfred F Beckett Ltd v Lyons

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The case involved a claim made by the plaintiff that as an inhabitant of the County Palatine of Durham… ...

Alfred F Beckett Ltd v Lyons – 1967

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The case involved a claim made by the plaintiff that as an inhabitant of the County Palatine of Durham, he had the right to take coal… ...

Alfred McAlpine v Panatown – Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

When defects were found, Panatown sought damages against AMC for the delay and the defects (having already received a damages under the duty of… ...

Alfred Toepfer International v Itex

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

A buyer agreed to purchase a full cargo of 22,000 tonnes of maize from a seller in Argentina. The buyer nominated a sub-buyer to nominate… ...

Ali v Khan – 2002 – Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

This case concerned property transferred between a father and daughter. Mr Khan was the sole registered proprietor of the house and he… ...

Ali v Khan [2002]

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

This case concerned property transferred between a father and daughter. Mr Khan was the sole registered proprieto… ...

Allan v Liverpool Overseas

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The joint appellants, Allan and Inman, owned steamship companies. They were given a licence to use part of a docks including some sheds and a coal depot. The Docks and Harbour Board who controlled the docks charged the appellants rent on these. ...

Allen v Flood – 1898

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Flood and Walter was a shipwright employed on a ship, liable to be discharged at any time. Fellow workers objected to their employment… ...

Allied Maples Group v Simmons & Simmons

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Allied Maples Group (AMG) instructed Simmons & Simmons (S&S) to act in a takeover of the Gillow group of companies. S&S failed to advise AMG… ...

Amalgamated Investment v John Walker – Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The defendant, John Walker & Sons Ltd, advertised their warehouse for sale, either for occupation or redevelopment of the property. ...

American Cyanamid v Ethicon

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Guidelines and the issues to be taken into account by the court for the grant of an interim injunction. The issue on these facts was primarily the extent of any substantive claim necessary for the grant of an interim injunction. ...

Amsprop Trading Ltd v Harris Distribution

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Harris was the subtenant of a property who had covenanted with the tenant to maintain and repair the property. Further to this… ...

Ancell v McDermott

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The first defendant, while driving his car, ran over an aluminum tube which had fallen from the fourth defendant’s truck, ruptured his fuel tank, leaving… ...

Anderson Ltd v Daniel – 1924 1 KB 138

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Under s.1(1) Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act 1906 any seller of artificial fertilizer had to provide the buyer with an invoice stating the… ...

Andrews Brothers v Singer – 1934

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimants and defendants entered into an agreement which stipulated that the claimants would be sole dealers of the claimant’s cars… ...

Anns v Merton London Borough Council

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The availability of a duty of care in negligence. The local authority approved building plans for a block of flats and the flats were built later that year. ...

Antonaides v Villiers [1990]

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Occupiers signed agreement expressly stated to be a license; whether agreement a sham. Mr Villiers and his partner signed separate but identical agreements to occupy a one bedroom flat owned by Mr Antonaides, where they would live as husband and wife. ...

Antonio v Antonio – 2010

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The parties used to be married and were also involved in business together. Mrs Antonio owned a lucrative business. While still married… ...

Appleby v Myers

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The plaintiffs had a contract with the defendant to erect machinery on his premises at a specific price for particular… ...

Appleton v Garrett – Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimants were patients of the defendant dentist, who had carried out unnecessary treatment upon them. The defendant had deliberately… ...

Archbolds Freightage v Spanglett

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The plaintiffs, Archbolds, were carriers who subcontracted with the defendants, Spanglett, to take a quantity of whisky from Leeds to London. ...

Archer v Williams – 2003

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant (A) was the wife of a well-known politician. A previously employed the defendant (W) as a personal assistant. ...

Arcos v EA Ronaasen & Son – 1933

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

English purchasers concluded a contract for the sale of staves of timber wood from the English agents of a Russian company for the purposes of making cement barrels, specifying staves of Russian redwood and whitewood to be of half-an-inch in thickness ...

Armstrong v Shepperd

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The defendant built a sewer on land belonging to the claimant, but before doing so consulted with the claimant and the claimant raised… ...

Armstrong v Shepperd and Short Ltd

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The availability of an injunction for trespass where damage was very limited. Whether oral agreement could create an easement. ...

Arthur JS Hall v Simons

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

In the first case, in a protracted dispute for a building, the plaintiff’s solicitors acted for the opposite side. In the second case, during matrimonial… ...

ASBL v Bosman (Bosman Ruling) – Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 21st Dec 2023

The Bosman ruling significantly changed the landscape of football transfers, making it easier for players to move between clubs and countries in the EU. ...

Ashburn Anstalt v Arnold

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The defendant was the successor-in-title to a company which persuaded the claimant to sell his lease to the company in exchange for a promise that he would continue occupying the property rent-free until the defendant gave him one quarter’s notice to leave. ...

Ashbury Railway Carriage v Riche

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

For the constitution of companies incorporated under the Companies Act 2006, a memorandum of association containing the purpose for which it is incorporated is no longer a requirement. ...

Ashe v National Westminster Bank

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Mortgagors, who were husband and wife, owned a long leasehold interest in the house in which they lived. In 1989 they granted a charge… ...

Ashe v National Westminster Bank plc

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Mortgagors, who were husband and wife, owned a long leasehold interest in the house in which they lived. ...

Ashmore, Benson, Pease v A V Dawson

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

In 1967 the plaintiffs, Ashmore, Benson, Pease & Co, manufactured tube tanks. The defendants, AV Dawson, a haulage company… ...

Aslan v Murphy (No 1)

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Landlord and tenant; whether agreement is a lease which expressly excludes exclusive possession ...

Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority – 2012 Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Jan 2024

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, was accused of sexual offences in Sweden in August 2010. From 2012, he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden. ...

Associated Japanese Bank v Credit Du Nord

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The complainants, Associated Japanese Bank, bought three engineering machines from a client that turned out to be a rogue. ...

Atlas Express v Kafco

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The Kafco imported basket ware and entered a contract with Atlas to sell and deliver baskets to Atlas retail stores. Atlas tried to negotiate a further term in the contract for a minimum order of £440 per trailer load. ...

Attia v British Gas

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

C engaged British Gas (D) to install a new central heating system in her home but returned to find that her loft had caught fire. The house and its contents… ...

Attorney General v Hartwell

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

L, a British Virgin Islands policeman, abandoned his post and travelled to another island. He went into a bar, where his former partner… ...

Attorney General v PYA Quarries

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

AG v PYA. The defendants operated a quarry and used a blasting technique which emitted large quantities of dust and noise, as well as causing vibrations which interfered with the enjoyment of land for many individuals in the area. ...

Attorney General’s Reference No. 3 of 1992

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Four men (D) threw a petrol bomb from a moving car, which hit a wall nearby four men in a parked car and two standing men. ...

Attorney-General of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd – Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The Belize government established a company to take over the country’s telecommunications services. The articles of association… ...

Attorney-General v Antrobus

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The ability of the public to acquire a public right of way over land acquired through long user ...

Attorney-General v Antrobus [1905] 2 Ch 188

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The case concerned Stonehenge and the public’s right of access to it. The site’s owner had taken steps to protect the monument by enclosing it with… ...

Attorney-General v De Keyser’s Royal Hotel

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimants, De Keyser’s Royal Hotel, were the owners of a London Hotel that had been used by some members of the armed forces in World War One, and they thus sought reasonable compensation for this occupation under the Defence Act 1842. ...

Attorney-General v Jonathan Cape Ltd

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

A Cabinet minister kept a diary of Cabinet discussions and events with the intention to once publish the contents in a book. After the minister’s death, volume one of the book (Diaries of a Cabinet Minister) was sent for approval to and rejected by the Secretary of the Cabinet. ...

Attorney-General’s Reference (No 6 of 1980)

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The respondent and the complainant had an argument. They agreed to engage in a fist fight to settle the matter in a public street. ...

Attorney-General’s Reference (No. 1 of 1975)

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The defendant added alcohol to a motorist’s soft drink without the motorist’s knowledge or consent, despite knowing that the motorist would be driving… ...

Attwood v Lamont – 1920

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The plaintiff was a tailor and general outfitter who employed the defendant as an assistant. In the contract of employment, the defendant agreed… ...

Austerberry v Corporation of Oldham

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

COVENANT TO REPAIR, DEDICATION TO THE PUBLIC, TOLLS, TURNPIKE ROAD, HIGHWAY REPAIRABLE BY THE INHABITANTS AT LARGE, STREET ...

Austin v Keele (1987)

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The parties, in this case, had a long business arrangement. The case was concerned with the dissolution of a… ...

Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The respondent operated a possum meat processing plant in Tasmania. It sought an injunction to prevent the appellant from… ...

Automatism Cases | Law Teacher

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Automatism Cases. The defendant had driven eratically while suffering from hypo-glycaemia (low blood sugar level caused by an excess of insulin in the bloodstream), but was convicted of driving without due care and… ...

Avon Finance v Bridger

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The Bridgers were an elderly couple. They bought a house with their son’s help who was a chartered accountant. The son made arrangements for… ...

Avon Insurance v Swire Fraser – Facts

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The claimant was a stop loss insurance company which made a claim against the defendant insurance brokers under the Misrepresentation Act 1967… ...

Avraamides v Colwill – 2006

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

Avraamides contracted Bathroom Trading Company (BTC) to complete two bathroom refurbishments. BTC was later sold to Colwill. ...

B & S Contracts & Design Ltd v Victor Green

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The plaintiffs were contracted to erect stands in a stadium. The contract specified that the Plaintiffs would make every effort to complete the works, but it was subject to a force majeure clause. ...

B & S v Leathley – 1979

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The defendants, B and S, entered a freezer container that had been placed in a farmyard and stole goods from it. The container was resting on sleepers, weighed three tons and was twenty-five foot long by seven by seven feet. ...

B v C – Surrogacy and Adoption Case Summary

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

B v C [2015] EWFC 17; [2015] 1 F.L.R. 1392; [2015] Fam. Law 533 a Surrogacy and Adoption Case Summary. ...

Bagum v Hafiz and another

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

Court’s discretionary powers in relation to co-ownership in trusts of land. ...

Bahr v Nicolay (No. 2)

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

The appellant agreed to sell their land to the first respondent, with an option to buy it back later. The first respondent later sold the land… ...

Bailey v Stephens (1862)

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

This case dealt with the issue of proximity in the law on easements in England & Wales. ...

Baker v Willoughby – 1970

Example case summary. Last modified: 7th Mar 2018

The complainant, Mr Baker, was a pedestrian who had been knocked down by the defendant driving a car in September 1964. The negligent driving by the defendant caused serious injury to his left leg, which left him with mobility problems and unable to work in the labour market as he did before ...

Bakewell Managements Ltd v Brandwood

Example case summary. Last modified: 12th Oct 2018

In 1927 under a ‘s193(2) Law of Property Act 1925 (the Act)’ deed, public access to common law was allowed. ...

Ball v Johnson – 2019

Example case summary. Last modified: 30th May 2019

The applicant brought a crowd-funded private prosecution against the proposed defendant, a sitting Member of Parliament, former Mayor of London and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Boris Johnson. ...