Content by Cassandra Williams

Our annual series of webinars focusing on personal injury litigation relating to personal injury litigation cases presented by members of our Personal Injury team. Each webinar should be of interest to lawyers, claims handlers, case funders and all those who are involved in this area. All webinars in this series will have a Q&A session…

The Supreme Court has handed down its highly anticipated decision in TUI UK Ltd v Griffiths [2023] UKSC 48.  The Supreme Court unanimously allowed the appeal of the Claimant, reversing the decision of the Court of Appeal. The judgment can be accessed here. The decision of the Court of Appeal is discussed in the author’s blog…

In the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] AC 1430, the Supreme Court drew a distinction between a doctor’s role when considering possible investigatory or treatment options and, their advisory role in discussing with a patient any risks of injury which may be involved in any recommended treatment and possible alternatives.  The former…

Ex turpi causa non oritur actio literally translates to ‘the action does not arise from a shameful cause’. In other words, as stated by Lord Mansfield CJ in Holman v Johnson (1775) 1 Cowp 341, 343: “no court will lend its aid to a man who founds his cause of action upon an immoral or an illegal act”.…

There is a paucity of reported decisions addressing the question of what the applicable standard of care is in cases involving negligent medical treatment carried out outside of the UK. There is considerable authority on the applicable standard of care in cases involving accidents occurring during package holidays to foreign destinations. It is a firmly…

The Court of Appeal handed down judgment last month allowing the Defendant’s appeal against the decision of Martin Spencer J in the case of Griffiths v TUI UK Ltd. The High Court decision is discussed in the author’s blog entitled “The Limitations of Challenging Uncontroverted Expert Evidence”, which can be read here. The decision of the Court of…

The court in Covey v Harris [2021] EWHC 2211 (QB) acceded to the Defendant’s application to amend its defence to plead fundamental dishonesty made less than a month before trial. Given the court’s refusal of a similar application made by the Defendant in Mustard v Flower [2021] EWHC 846 (QB) (see Philip Davy’s blog here), one questions how…

In TUI v Morgan [2021] PIQR P12, the Respondent, Mrs Morgan, sustained injury whilst on a package holiday to Mauritius, which she purchased from the Appellant, TUI. She was walking along an outdoor, unlit sun terrace at the hotel where she was staying when she collided with a heavy wooden sunbed, fell and sustained injuries…

The law requires medical practitioners to use diligence, care, knowledge, skill and caution in administering treatment to a patient. The question of whether a medical practitioner has met the requisite standard of care is often considered by reference to the test laid down in the case of Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] WLR 582.…

An appeal is currently outstanding from the significant decision made on appeal by the High Court in Griffiths v TUI UK Ltd [2020] EWHC 2268 (QB). The Decision at First Instance The proceedings arise out of a claim brought by the Claimant against the Defendant for a gastric illness he suffered whilst on a package…

In Brint v Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust [2021] EWHC 290 (QB), HHJ Platts, sitting as a High Court Judge, declined to make a finding of fundamental dishonesty following the dismissal of the Claimant’s claim for damages, arising from an extravasation injury sustained following a CT scan with contrast carried out at the Defendant’s…

Claimants often rely on medical records as evidence to corroborate their case as to the nature and extent of their injuries in personal injury litigation.  Conversely, Defendants often use a Claimant’s medical records against them where those records contain information that undermines the Claimant’s account as to their injuries. In either case, it is important to understand the…

In the context of clinical negligence cases, causation can be just as tricky to establish as breach, perhaps even more so. The difficulties arise in part because many of these cases involve Claimants who were injured or ill before seeking the treatment or advice that they ultimately complain of, and they remain ill or injured…

Cassandra Williams has contributed to the June edition of the AvMA newsletter with her article “Medical Causation Where Are We Now: Pitfalls and Hurdles“. To read the article, please click here. To read the newsletter in full, please click here.