Case Summaries
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Hopcraft v Close Brothers Ltd [2025] UKSC 33
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Car customers claimed undisclosed commissions paid by finance lenders to motor dealers constituted bribes or breaches of fiduciary duty. The Supreme Court held dealers owed no fiduciary duty to customers when arranging finance, as they remained arm’s length sellers throughout. Bribery and equity claims failed, but one customer’s unfair relationship claim under the Consumer Credit […]…
Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2025] UKSC 32
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
The Supreme Court considered whether the definition of ‘crematorium’ under section 2 of the Cremation Act 1902 includes areas for the disposal or storage of ashes, for the purpose of the 200-yard radius clause prohibition in section 5 restricting siting near dwelling houses. Background Horizon Cremation Limited (‘Horizon’) sought planning permission from Tandridge District Council […]…
D.E.L.T.A. Merseyside Ltd v Uber Britannia Ltd [2025] UKSC 31
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Uber sought a declaration that the 1976 Act required all private hire vehicle operators outside London to accept bookings only by contracting as principal to provide the journey. The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the appeal, holding the Act imposed no such requirement, and operators could lawfully use agency or intermediary booking models. Background The appeal […]…
Shvidler v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2025] UKSC 30
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
A British citizen (Shvidler) and a yacht owner (Dalston Projects) challenged UK sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Supreme Court upheld both sanctions as proportionate, finding rational connections to the legitimate aim of pressuring Russia, though Lord Leggatt dissented on Shvidler’s designation as unjust and disproportionate. Background These conjoined appeals concerned challenges to […]…
R v Hayes; R v Palombo [2025] UKSC 29
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo were convicted of conspiracy to defraud for attempting to manipulate LIBOR and EURIBOR benchmark interest rates. The Supreme Court quashed both convictions, holding that trial judges wrongly directed juries that taking account of trading advantage automatically meant submissions were not genuine — a question of fact for the jury, not […]…
Stevens v Hotel Portfolio II UK Ltd [2025] UKSC 28
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
HPII’s director secretly bought company hotels, made £102m profit held on constructive trust for HPII, then dissipated it. Stevens dishonestly assisted both the profit-making and dissipation. The Supreme Court held Stevens liable to compensate HPII for the lost trust property despite the profit-making causing HPII no original loss. Background Hotel Portfolio II UK Ltd (‘HPII’) […]…
Department for Business and Trade v The Information Commissioner [2025] UKSC 27
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
The Supreme Court considered whether, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, where multiple qualified exemptions apply to requested information, the public interest factors favouring non-disclosure can be assessed cumulatively across exemptions rather than independently for each. By a 3-2 majority, the Court held the cumulative approach is correct. Background In November 2017, journalist Brendan […]…
Standish v Standish [2025] UKSC 26
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
In divorce proceedings, a husband transferred £80 million to his wife for inheritance tax planning purposes, intending she would place assets in trusts for their children. The Supreme Court held this transfer did not ‘matrimonialise’ the husband’s pre-marital assets, clarifying that the sharing principle applies only to matrimonial property. Background The appellant wife and respondent […]…
Iconix Luxembourg Holdings SARL v Dream Pairs Europe Inc [2025] UKSC 25
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Iconix (UMBRO brand owner) sued Dream Pairs for trade mark infringement, alleging their DP Sign on football boots was confusingly similar to UMBRO Trade Marks. The Supreme Court allowed Dream Pairs’ appeal, restoring the trial judge’s finding of no infringement, holding the Court of Appeal had no proper basis to substitute its own multi-factorial assessment. […]…
Commissioners for HMRC v Dolphin Drilling Ltd [2025] UKSC 24
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Dolphin Drilling leased a tender support vessel (the Borgsten) to provide drilling support and accommodation at an oil platform. The Supreme Court held that providing accommodation to offshore workers was an independent use, not ‘incidental to’ drilling support services, and therefore the statutory hire cap on connected-party lease deductions applied. Background Dolphin Drilling Ltd (‘Dolphin’) […]…
Andrysiewicz v Circuit Court in Lodz, Poland [2025] UKSC 23
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
The Supreme Court resolved conflicting approaches to whether English courts assessing Article 8 ECHR proportionality in extradition cases should evaluate the likelihood of early release under Polish law. The Court held that only the bare possibility of early release should be acknowledged, carrying little weight, and courts should not predict outcomes of Polish early release […]…
Waller-Edwards v One Savings Bank Plc [2025] UKSC 22
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A wife’s home was remortgaged partly to discharge her partner’s personal debts. The Supreme Court held that a lender is put on inquiry of possible undue influence in any non-commercial hybrid loan transaction containing a more than de minimis suretyship element, rejecting the Court of Appeal’s ‘fact and degree’ test in favour of a bright […]…
URS Corporation Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd [2025] UKSC 21
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Developer BDW sued structural engineer URS for costs of remedying safety defects in residential buildings discovered post-Grenfell. The Supreme Court held that voluntarily incurred repair costs are not irrecoverable as a matter of law, that the Building Safety Act 2022 retrospectively extends limitation periods to related negligence and contribution claims, that developers are owed duties […]…
Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Landowners sought a declaration that the public had no right to wild camp on Dartmoor Commons under section 10(1) of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985. The Supreme Court held that ‘open-air recreation’ includes camping, and the words ‘on foot and on horseback’ describe the means of access, not the permitted activities. The appeal was dismissed. […]…
U3 v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] UKSC 19
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A British citizen deprived of citizenship for alleged ISIL alignment challenged SIAC’s approach to national security assessments. The Supreme Court held SIAC reviews the rationality of the Secretary of State’s risk assessment using administrative law principles, not by making its own factual findings on the balance of probabilities. Appeal dismissed. Background The appellant, designated U3, […]…
Bilta (UK) Ltd v Tradition Financial Services Ltd [2025] UKSC 18
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
The Supreme Court held that section 213 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (fraudulent trading) is not limited to company insiders but extends to outsiders who knowingly participate in a company’s fraudulent business. The Court also held that two dissolved-then-restored companies failed to prove entitlement to postponement of limitation under section 32 of the Limitation Act […]…
R v Perry [2025] UKSC 17
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Ms Perry was convicted of collecting information useful to a terrorist. She appealed arguing the trial judge misconstrued her defence statement. The Supreme Court held the interpretation was a question of fact, found no error, and dismissed the appeal against concurrent findings of fact. Background The appellant, Fionnghuale Perry, was convicted of collecting or making […]…
For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
The UK Supreme Court ruled that ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 means biological sex only, not sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004. A trans woman with a GRC is not a ‘woman’ for EA 2010 purposes. The Scottish Ministers’ guidance was declared unlawful. Background For Women […]…
Abbasi v Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Rev1) [2025] UKSC 15
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Parents of two deceased children sought discharge of injunctions preventing them from naming clinicians involved in their children’s end-of-life care. The Supreme Court dismissed the NHS Trusts’ appeal, holding that after proceedings end, clinicians must assert their own privacy rights rather than relying on trusts to do so on their behalf. Background This appeal concerned […]…
MSC Flaminia [2025] UKSC 14
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A charterer (MSC) sought to limit liability under the 1976 Convention for claims by the shipowner (Conti) following an explosion on the MSC Flaminia. The Supreme Court held charterers can limit liability for owner claims but only permitted limitation for cargo discharge/decontamination costs under article 2.1(e). Background MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (‘MSC’), a container […]…
Glasgow City Council v X (Scotland) [2025] UKSC 13
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A homeless family with an autistic son was provided a four-bedroom interim flat instead of the five-bedroom property their needs assessment recommended. The Supreme Court held that the interim housing duty requires local authorities to ‘take into account’ household needs, not necessarily to meet them all, unlike the stricter permanent accommodation duty. Background The appellant […]…
R v Layden [2025] UKSC 12
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
The Supreme Court held that failure to comply with the arraignment time limit in section 8(1) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 does not deprive the Crown Court of jurisdiction to retry a defendant. The Court of Appeal’s decision in Llewellyn was overruled, and the respondent’s murder conviction was restored. Background On 11 April 2013, […]…
R (on the application of The Spitalfields Historic Building Trust) v London Borough of Tower Hamlets [2025] UKSC 11
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A local council’s standing order restricting voting on a deferred planning application to committee members who attended the earlier meeting was challenged as unlawful. The Supreme Court held the standing order was within the council’s power to regulate its proceedings under the Local Government Act 1972. Background The case concerned a planning application by Old […]…
Rukhadze v Recovery Partners GP Ltd [2025] UKSC 10
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Former fiduciaries sought to introduce a ‘but for’ causation test to the equitable duty to account for unauthorised profits, arguing they would have earned the same profits without breaching fiduciary duties. The Supreme Court unanimously declined to depart from established House of Lords authority, holding the profit rule serves a vital prophylactic purpose. Background The […]…
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Cultural Bureau) v Costantine [2025] UKSC 9
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A former administrative employee of the Saudi Embassy brought discrimination and harassment claims. The Supreme Court held the Court of Appeal erred by dismissing the Embassy’s immunity appeal without considering its duty under section 1(2) of the State Immunity Act 1978, but ultimately found no immunity applied given the employee’s purely administrative role. Background Mrs […]…
JR123 (Judicial Review Application) [2025] UKSC 8
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
JR123 challenged the Northern Ireland rehabilitation of offenders scheme under Article 8 ECHR, arguing that convictions for serious offences should not be permanently excluded from becoming ‘spent’. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that the category-based legislative scheme falls within the state’s margin of appreciation and is compatible with Article 8. Facts The appellant, […]…
Brown v Ridley [2025] UKSC 7
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
The Ridleys sought registration of disputed land adjacent to their property based on adverse possession under the Land Registration Act 2002. The Supreme Court resolved an ambiguity in Schedule 6, holding that reasonable belief in ownership need only persist for ten years within the adverse possession period, not until the application date. Facts Mr and […]…
N3 v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] UKSC 6
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
N3 and ZA appealed against deprivation of British citizenship orders made against E3 and N3 on national security grounds. The Supreme Court held that once SIAC determined the orders would render them stateless, the individuals must be treated as having retained British citizenship throughout, meaning ZA was a British citizen at birth. Facts E3 and […]…
Nasir v Zavarco Plc [2025] UKSC 5
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Tan Sri Nasir disputed whether he owed €36 million for shares in Zavarco Plc after obtaining a declaratory judgment confirming the shares were unpaid. The Supreme Court held that the doctrine of merger, which extinguishes causes of action upon judgment, does not apply to purely declaratory judgments, allowing Zavarco to pursue subsequent payment claims. Facts […]…
El-Husseiny v Invest Bank PSC [2025] UKSC 4
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Invest Bank sought to enforce judgments against Mr El-Husseini, alleging he arranged transfers of valuable properties owned by his companies to his sons to defeat creditors. The Supreme Court held that section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 applies to such arrangements, even where the debtor does not personally own the transferred assets. Facts Invest […]…
El-Khouri v Government of the United States of America [2025] UKSC 3
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Mr El-Khouri, a UK/Lebanese dual national, faced US extradition for alleged insider dealing using confidential information to trade CFDs from the UK. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal, ruling the conduct occurred outside the US, failing the double criminality test as UK insider dealing laws would not apply extraterritorially in corresponding circumstances. Facts Mr Joseph […]…
Royal Bank of Canada v Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs [2025] UKSC 2
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Royal Bank of Canada received payments from BP linked to North Sea oil production under an arrangement originally made with Sulpetro. HMRC sought to tax these payments under the UK/Canada Double Taxation Convention. The Supreme Court held the payments were not taxable by the UK as they did not constitute consideration for a ‘right to […]…
The Father v Worcestershire County Council [2025] UKSC 1 29
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
A father sought habeas corpus to release his children from foster care under a care order. The Supreme Court held the children were not detained, as they lived in ordinary domestic settings. Furthermore, habeas corpus was inappropriate where statutory remedies of appeal or discharge application existed to challenge the care order. Facts The appellant father […]…
Lewis-Ranwell v G4S Health Services (UK) Ltd and others No 2 [2026] UKSC 2
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Mr Lewis-Ranwell, suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia, killed three men during a psychotic episode. Found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, he sued healthcare providers for negligence, seeking compensation for detention and other losses. The Supreme Court held the illegality defence barred his civil claims. Facts Alexander Lewis-Ranwell had a history of schizophrenia […]…
Providence Building Services Ltd v Hexagon Housing Association Ltd [2026] UKSC 1
Example case summary. Last modified: March 11, 2026
Providence Building Services terminated its construction contract with Hexagon Housing Association after repeated late payments. The Supreme Court held that a contractor cannot terminate under clause 8.9.4 for repeated default unless a right to terminate had previously accrued under clause 8.9.3. The appeal was allowed. Facts Providence Building Services Ltd (the Contractor) and Hexagon Housing […]…
Diarra v FIFA – Lassana Diarra Case
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
The case concerns Lassana Diarra, a professional football player, and his dispute with FIFA regarding the transfer system and its compatibility with EU law. …
Barclays v Quincecare
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Barclays Bank plc v Quincecare Ltd [1992] 4 All ER 363 – Landmark case establishing the …
Philipp v Barclays – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
Case summary of Philipp vs Barclays concerning Quincecare duty and economic losses due to forex manipulation….
USA v Julian Assange
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
The grand jury returned an indictment, holding that Assange knowingly accessed a U.S. Government computer system illegally, exceeding his authorised access to obtain classified information regarding U.S. national security…
Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority – 2012 Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
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….
Alexander v Mercouris
Example case summary. Last modified: March 12, 2026
A case examining the liability of parties under contract law, particularly in the realm of services that have been promised but subsequently not rendered….
O’Neill vs Dominick Healy & Sons
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
A legal discourse on the liability of an employer for psychological injuries suffered by an employee due to work-related stress….
Ford and Owen v FCA
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
The case concerns the regulatory action taken by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) against two defendants for their role in the failure of Keydata Investment Services Ltd….
Ivey v Genting Casinos (Crockfords Club) – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
In Ivey v Genting Casinos professional gambler Phil Ivey visited Crockfords Club, a casino in London, and played a game of Punto Banco, a form of baccarat….
PGA Tour v Martin – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin was a significant case in the realm of sports law and disability rights. Casey Martin, a professional golfer, suffered from a degenerative circulatory disorder that impeded his ability to walk golf courses….
ASBL v Bosman (Bosman Ruling) – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
The Bosman ruling significantly changed the landscape of football transfers, making it easier for players to move between clubs and countries in the EU….
European Super League vs UEFA
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
In response to financial pressures, 12 major football clubs across Europe announced their intention to create a breakaway tournament named the European Super League (ESL) in April 2021….
Rex v Entain Plc
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
The case deals with the allegations and subsequent considerations of violations of the gambling legislations and regulations by Entain PLC and their eventual DPA with HMRC….
R v Couzens 2021
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
Case summary and sentencing remarks from R v Couzens – the case concerns an off-duty police officer who committed the rape and murder of Sarah Everard….
Miller v Prime Minister 2019
Example case summary. Last modified: March 13, 2026
This case concerns the conglomeration of two appeals, one from the High Court of England and Wales and one from the Inner House of the Court of Session in Scotland. …
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