A “vindictive” husband who caused an “”unnecessary haemorrhage of money”” by pursuing unnecessary legal action has had his divorce settlement slashed by the courts. The case involved a couple who had married in 2005 and separated in highly acrimonious circumstances in 2016. They had two children, aged 13 and 19. During their relationship they had
There has been a large increase in house sales following the introduction of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday. After a 14.5% rise in July, residential property transactions in August rose a further 15.6% as more people decided to buy a new home. The increase came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a stamp duty
A pharmacy worker has been awarded £15,000 after a tribunal found she had been subjected to age discrimination. Sue Walsh began working for St Chad’s chemist in Oldham in April 2017 when she was 60 years old. Immediately her lack of hearing and memory loss came to the notice of her co-workers who were aged
The government has announced that landlords will have to give six months’ notice if they wish to evict tenants who are struggling to pay their rent during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also extended the ban on evictions until 21 September. The six-month notice rule will apply in all cases except those involving serious issues
A survey of more than 24,000 employees has revealed widely differing attitudes between white and ethnic minority employees towards career progression, pay and discrimination. The research was carried out by Business in the Community (BITC) and published as Race at Work: Black Voices Report. It found that seven out of 10 of black respondents wanted
The High Court has settled a dispute between two brothers and their sister over their father’s will. The claim concerned the estate of a Mr Evans who died in 2019. He was survived by his wife, who suffered from motor neurone disease. Her daughter was acting as her litigation friend – someone who helps a
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the principles allowing parents to have contact with their children who are in care continued to apply during Covid-19, even though it could create practical difficulties for local authorities. The issue arose after a mother appealed against a decision that face-to-face contact with her three young children should
The Help to Buy scheme has been extended to compensate for the delays in building work due to the coronavirus outbreak. Under the current scheme, work on new homes would have to be finished by the end of December – the extension will mean the deadline will now move to 28 February 2021. The deadline
The number of families having to pay inheritance tax (IHT) has fallen for the first time since 2009, according to the latest figures. Inheritance tax is set at 40% and becomes payable once the tax-free threshold of £325,000 has been passed. There is no tax liability if a person’s estate passes directly to their spouse.
A court has imposed a penalty of more than £800,000 on a husband who behaved unreasonably during divorce proceedings. The judge said the move should act as a warning to all couples that the law would not tolerate dishonest tactics. The case involved a couple in their fifties. They had been married for 25 years