The X Primary Care Trust v XB & anr [2012] EWHC 1390 (Fam)
November 2012 #124XB, who for years had been suffering from a progressive illness (motor neurone disease), required an invasive ventilation device in order to breathe and, being unable to talk, could only communicate latterly by the movement of his eyes. The question of life-sustaining treatment had been discussed on a number of occasions with his general practitioner and a draft advance decision to refuse treatment was prepared at his behest by a mental capacity coordinator. After considering the draft, in order to explain it to XB, a further simpler document was prepared using a template found by his wi...
XCC v AA & ors [2012] EWHC 2183 (COP)
November 2012 #124DD has severe learning disabilities, little language, little comprehension of anything other than very simple matters and needs assistance with almost all aspects of her daily life. Her parents are from Bangladesh, but the family has been brought up in Britain and are British citizens. DD married AA (said to be her cousin) in 2003 in Bangladesh. AA eventually gained a spousal visa in 2009 and moved in with DD and her parents, sharing DD’s bedroom and bed. DD’s marriage came to the attention of the learning disabilities team of XCC, leading to concerns about her welfare. The police obtain...
Charity Commission v Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds)
October 2012 #123The charity is an organisation working on behalf of the Catholic diocese of Leeds. It provides a number of services to the community at large to promote the relief of poverty and distress. One such service, previously offered, was a voluntary adoption agency that sought to place children with families resembling the Holy Family of Nazareth, ie heterosexual spouses.
A temporary exemption for faith-based adoption agencies from the prohibition on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation ceased on 31 December 2008. The charity’s adoption service therefore suspended fr...
Hughes & ors v Bourne & ors [2012] EWHC 2232 (Ch)
October 2012 #123Eric Lionel Thomas (the settlor) settled a trust (the 1961 settlement) by deed dated 27 June 1961 (the 1961 deed). The principal asset of the 1961 settlement was a controlling interest in NWN Media (the company), a family owned newspaper publishing company that published local newspapers in Wales, Chester, Shropshire and Herefordshire. The trustees of the 1961 settlement (the trustees) were given powers by the 1961 deed to sell shares with the consent of the settlor during his lifetime and thereafter at their discretion. In addition, the 1961 deed gave the trustees the powers of appropri...
Re Lehman Brothers Intl (Europe) [2010] EWCA Civ 917
October 2012 #123Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (LBIE), an English unlimited company, was the principal European trading company in the Lehman Brothers group. LBIE entered administration on 15 September 2008. The administrators made several applications to the court for directions.
The issues on appeal concerned the application of chapter 7 of the Client Assets Sourcebook (CASS 7) issued by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). CASS 7 was intended to transpose the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2004/39/EC (MiFID) and its Implementing Directive into English law, under the FSA’...
Re Longman (dec’d) [2012] EWHC 666 (Ch)
October 2012 #123Mrs Elizabeth Longman (D) died on 18 April 2008, leaving the residue of her estate equally to six charities if they were in existence at the date of her death. One of the six was the International Bible Society (UK) (IBS). When the will was made, IBS was an unincorporated association, but it had incorporated in May 2007 by transferring all its assets to a new charitable company, IBS-STL Ltd. Clause 6.3 of D’s will (see para [2] of the judgment below) provided that if one or more of the named charities merged or ceased to exist her trustees could pay its share of the residue to another ch...
Page & anr v Hewetts Solicitors & anr [2012] EWCA Civ 805
October 2012 #123The claimants (P) were the beneficiaries under their parents’ will. The first respondents Hewetts, solicitors (H) were retained to advise and act for P in the administration of their parents’ estates. The second respondent, Christopher Fuller (F) was employed by H as a legal executive. F was instructed by P in 1998 in relation to a sale of P’s parents’ property. Unknown to P at the time, F carried on business as a property developer through Exnine Developments (E) and recommended that P sell the property for £190,000 to Sahana Enterprises Ltd (S), which had agreed...
Scott v Scott [2012] EWHC 2397 (Ch)
October 2012 #123The claimant (Andrew) and the defendant (Martin) were brothers. They were the trustees of a trust created in 1991 by their mother (Elizabeth Scott). Andrew, Martin and Simon Jackson QC (a long standing friend of Elizabeth Scott) were the principal beneficiaries of the trust. There were other discretionary beneficiaries. Andrew had carried out the day to day administration of the trust since 2006.
The trust had formerly comprised a farm of 60 acres and a nursing home. Significant distributions were made. Andrew carried out significant works to a property known as the Barn, which wa...
Re The Sir Edward Heath charitable trust
October 2012 #123By his will dated 16 April 2002, the late Sir Edward Heath settled his home and contents, Arundells at Salisbury, upon charitable trusts. The trustees had power to apply income and capital to or for the benefit of one or more of six charitable objects, but no express power of sale save in furtherance of the charitable objects. In the years since the will was proved on 18 January 2006, annual deficits had been incurred by the trustees on opening Arundells to the public and, even after the sale of Sir Edward Heath’s papers, the balance available after eliminating the overdraft could ...