*SS (Sri Lanka) v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Immigration Appeal. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division in dismissing the claimant's immigration appeal held that the weight, if any, to be given to expert (or indeed any) evidence was a matter for the trial judge.

Ibrahim v Swansea University

Practice Striking out. The Queen's Bench Division held that the claimant's case in defamation would be struck out on the basis, inter alia, that no reasonable person would nowadays think any the worse of someone who had suffered from either 'mental health difficulties' or from 'chronic fatigue syndrome and anxiety'.

*Progress Bulk Carriers Ltd v Tube City IMS L.L.C

Contract Duress. The Queens' Bench Division (Commercial Court): In dismissing an appeal against a finding by arbitrators that the conduct of the owners of a vessel had amounted to the 'illegitimate pressure' required to establish duress in law, it was held that the arbitrators had applied the correct test in law in analysing the facts.

*Sherdley and another v Nordea Life and Pension SA (Societe Anonyme)

Conflict of laws Jurisdiction. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, dismissed the appeal against the court's finding that it had no jurisdiction under the Council Regulation (EC) 44-2001, on the basis that domicile was to be judged at the date of suit, rather than at the date of the formation of the contracts, breach of which formed the basis of the claim.

Hawksworth v Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police and another

Personal injury Action. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in dismissing the claimant's appeal against the dismissal of her personal injury claim, held that the judge had not erred in allowing evidence to inform his findings which the claimant contended had strayed from the defendants' pleaded case.

*Simcoe v Jacuzzi UK Group plc

Costs Interest on costs. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in allowing the claimant's appeal in respect of interest on costs, held that CPR40.8(1) was of no effect in the county court and that the effect of the County Court (Interest on Judgments Debts) Order 1991, , was that interest on costs ran from the date of the judgment which contained an order for costs.

*SP (North Korea) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Immigration Asylum seeker. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in dismissing the Secretary of State's appeal, held that the essential finding of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), which had allowed the respondent asylum seekers' appeal, could not have been characterised as perverse or irrational. Further, it had been entitled to reach the conclusions that it had at the time that it had and, accordingly, there had been no legal error in its determination.

Siveter v Wandsworth Borough of London

Negligence Duty to take care. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in allowing the claimant's appeal against a dismissal of her action against the defendant local authority in respect of an infestation of poultry mites in her council flat, held that the judge at first instance had erred in reaching the conclusions that he had in the face of the unanimous and uncontested expert evidence that had been before him.

*Spelman (by his litigation friends) v Express Newspapers

Human rights Right to respect for private and family life. The Queen's Bench Division of the High Court granted an injunction to the son of Cabinet minister Caroline Spelman restraining the Daily Star Sunday from publishing a story relating to him.

*Basey (by his litigation friend) v Oxford City Council

Social security Housing benefit. The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, in allowing the claimant's appeal, held that the accommodation in which he lived was sheltered accommodation for the purposes of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, SI2006-213, and that he was, therefore, entitled to have his share of the costs of fuel for, and cleaning of, the rooms of common use in his accommodation included in his eligible rent for the purpose of calculating his housing benefit.