Posts from the ‘Legal’ Category
Be careful what you tweet!
That may seem a rather obvious and common sense statement, but it should always be borne in mind when posting a comment on Twitter in light of the first known decision of its kind in the UK. Cricketer and former New Zealand captain, Chris Cairns, won a libel claim in March 2012 against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi for defamatory tweets.
In January 2010, Mr Modi tweeted that Mr Cairns had been removed from the IPL auction list (a list of players eligible to play in the league) ‘due to his past record of match fixing’. The tweet was picked up by a cricket website, and Mr Modi repeated his claims to the site.
The judge found that Mr Modi ‘singularly failed to provide any reliable evidence that Mr Cairns was involved in match fixing’. Read more
The case of HMRC -v- Reed Employment may have serious implications for umbrella companies and other employment businesses.
The landmark case has found Reed Employment, a leading employment agency, to be liable for £158m in back taxes, after 500,000 temps were reimbursed for expenses, which should have been paid as salary.
For more see here.
As a result of the current economic climate, the last few years have seen a sharp rise in redundancies. Only last week Ulster Bank Limited announced that they will be making a further 350 redundancies in Northern Ireland – see here for the story.
The rise in redundancies has in turn seen an increase in the number of people who need advice on a compromise agreement. Employers are increasingly using compromise agreements, especially in a redundancy situation, to avoid any potential future litigation as a result of bringing the employment to an end by offering some sort of financial settlement in return for the employee agreeing not to sue. It can be daunting when handed a legal document by an employer that looks complicated and full of legal jargon. Plus, if you’re being asked to enter into a compromise agreement, you’ll need to get advice from an independent solicitor to explain what the document means if it is to become legally binding. So what is a compromise agreement? Read more
At present first-time buyers of residential property in the UK can apply for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief if all of the following apply:
- the effective date is on or after 25 March 2010 and before 25 March 2012
- the consideration given is £250,000 or less
- the buyer intends to live in the property and it will be their only or main home
- they have not previously owned property or land either in the UK or anywhere else in the world – including property bought with anyone else
In effect this means that first-time buyers have up to 24 March 2012 inclusive to complete a purchase of residential property at a price up to £250,000. Read more
The annual increase in Tribunal compensation limits and new rates of benefits…
12/01/2012
Mark Jackson
Industrial Tribunal compensation limits
The annual increase in Tribunal compensation limits will take effect for dismissals occurring on or after 1 February 2012. The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal will increase from £68,400 to £72,300, and the maximum amount of a week’s pay (for calculating the unfair dismissal basic award and statutory redundancy pay) will increase from £400 to £430 per week.
Statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay and statutory sick pay
On 9 April 2012, the lower rate of statutory maternity pay, and the rates of statutory adoption, paternity and additional paternity pay, will increase from £128.73 per week to £135.45 per week. Statutory sick pay will increase from £81.60 to £85.85 per week.
Northern Ireland Law 