Disputes Flashcards
Limitation periods for:
Tort (not PI)
Contract
PI and Death
Tort - 6 years from date cause of action accrued
Contract - 6 years from the breach (unless contract in deed then 12 years)
PI and death - 3 years from the later of when the incident occurred or the date of knowledge
Definition of without prejudice communications (privilege):
Document whose purpose is a genuine attempt to settle a dispute
Not confidential between parties, just hidden from the court
When is a document OTHER than a claim form deemed served?
Post
Personal delivery
Fax
DX
Other electronic method (e.g. email)
Post - Second day after posting if a business day (if not the day after)
Personal delivery - Effective immediately, if before 4.30pm on a business day, otherwise next business day
Fax - Effective immediately, if before 4.30pm on a business day, otherwise next business day
DX - Effective the second day after left at DX if a business day, if not next business day
Email - Effective immediately, if before 4.30pm on a business day, otherwise next business day [if email has been agreed as a mode of service]
Conditions applicable to questions to experts:
- Qs only put once
- Q generally for purpose of clarifying the report
- Q submitted to expert within 28 days of making report
- Copy of Qs sent to other party
- No time limit for expert to reply unless set by court
- Answers to Qs become part of the report
- If expert does not answer, court can order the party who instructed the expert that they cannot rely on evidence and or cannot recover fees from other party
Key dates for a CMC (or CCMC):
Disclosure - 14 days or more before CMC
Draft directions - 7 days or more before CMC
Disclosure report - 14 days or more before CMC and verified with statement of truth
Budget (H) - 21 days before CCMC
Budget discussion report (R) - 7 days before CCMC
When must you serve POC?
Either with the claim form or within 14 days of service of the claim form
Must be accompanied by response pack
Procedure for inspection:
Party wishing to inspect should send notice of wish to do so to the other side who must allow inspection within 7 days of receipt of notice
Party wishing to inspect can ask for copies as well as/instead of - provided within 7 days of request
What are the 3 parts of a disclosure list?
- “I have control and do not object to inspection”
- “I have control and object to inspection”
- “I no longer have control”
Procedure for application for specific disclosure:
Application notice + draft order + supporting evidence
Application must (i) specify order sought inc. list of docs sought (more specific = more likely to succeed) (ii) be supported by evidence
Main differences with an affidavit as opposed to a witness statement:
Affidavit:
a. in intro - wording “state an oath”
b. has a Jurat - statement at the end of the document which authenticates the affidavit
includes signatures and addresses and follows immediately from the text
Procedure for discontinuance and costs consequences:
- Claimant to file notice at court
- Serve a copy on every party
- Discontinuance takes effect from the date of service
- Costs order deemed to be made in D’s favour on standard basis
Rules on jurisdiction in the UK:
- Only ONE part of UK can have jurisdiction
- Land - where it is situated
- General rule - where D is domiciled
- Can be sued where D not domiciled if:
a. contract - place of performance of obligations
b. tort - where harmful event occurred
c. dispute arising in branch of company - where the branch is
d. where more than one D (must be closely connected so expedient to hear and determine together)
e. counter-claim - hear where main claim is being heard
What does “in the party’s control” mean in terms of standard disclosure?
- is or was in physical possession
- party has right to possession (held by agent)
- party has or had right to inspect or take copies of document
Key features of a Tomlin Order and why they are generally used:
2 parts:
1. Public - contains actions to be taken by court (stay, permission to apply, assessment of costs)
2. Private - contains the terms of the agreement and enables parties to include provisions beyond what the court can order
Test for granting permission to appeal:
First appeal:
1. Reasonable prospect of success OR
2. Some other compelling reason why appeal should be heard
Second appeal - in COA:
1. Real prospect of success AND raises important point of principle or practice OR
2. Some other compelling reason
What value does the debt need to be to obtain an attachment of earnings order?
£50+
What should a party do on receipt of a notice to rely on hearsay? (4 options)
- Request the particulars of hearsay - must be reasonable and practicable for purpose of enabling to deal with matters arising from hearsay evidence at trial
- Call for cross examination - application must be made no later than 14 DAYS after hearsay notice served
- Challenge weight of hearsay evidence
- Attack credibility of absent witness - receiving party must notify adducing party of intention to do this no later than 14 DAYS after hearsay notice served
Procedure for application for non-party disclosure:
Submit app which must
(i) specify order sought and list docs
(ii) be supported by evidence
(iii) require R to specify docs no longer in control or withholding inspection
(iv) app notice served on R and any other party to proceedings
Costs
* Presumption court order A to pay costs in dealing with app and complying
* Rebut if R acted unreasonably in opposing application or any previous requests
Non-party disclosure - When does the court have the power to order a person not party to the proceedings to give disclosure?
(I.e. what does the applicant need to show?)
- Documents likely to support the applicant’s case or adversely affect the case of other parties to the proceedings
- Disclosure is necessary in order to dispose fairly of claim or to save costs
Court still has DISCRETION
*only used after proceedings commenced
What is ‘Drawing Up’ an order and who can do it?
It is setting an order out in a formal document which is sealed by the court
It is done by the court normally
It CAN be done by a party and must be filed no later than 7 DAYS after being responsible
If party fails the other party may do so
When will an application for specific disclosure generally be successful?
- If court decides that the party against whom SD is sought has ‘failed adequately to comply with obligations imposed by order for disclosure’ court will ‘usually make such an order as is necessary’ for compliance – e.g. document should have been disclosed already
What is the procedure for allocation of a claim to a track?
- After the defence is filed and served, the court office will review statements of case and consider allocation
- Court will provisionally decide a track and send Notice of Proposed Allocation
- Notice requires parties to file and serve DQ (Form N181)
- IF FT or MT proposed - also have to file proposed directions [at least 7 days before CMC]
- IF MT - Disclosure report (Form N263)
- If MT - Costs Budget (Precedent H)
- If MT - file and exchange agreed budget discussion report (Precedend R)
- Court will order allocation hearing if necessary
- Court will send Notice of Allocation
- CCMC (if MT)
Definition of hearsay (civil):
Oral or written statement made out of court being adduced into evidence to prove the truth of a matter stated
When will costs management rules automatically not apply unless court orders otherwise?
Claims of value £10m+ commenced after 22 April 2014