Category: Causation

Wrongful Birth Revisited: Khan v Meadows [2021] UKSC 21 – a reminder

To get us all up to speed ahead of this Supreme Court judgment, which is due to be handed down on Friday 28 May, Helen Waller has helpfully set out the background to this case, the decisions of the lower courts, and a summary of the law on wrongful birth claims. We will update this blog post in the next few days with the result of the Supreme Court decision and our analysis of it.

NKX (By his mother and litigation friend NMK) -v- Barts Health NHS Trust [2020] EWHC 828 (QB)

In this blog post, Helen Waller of 12KBW discusses the case of NKX (By his mother and litigation friend NMK) -v- Barts Health NHS Trust [2020] EWHC 828 (QB), which involved a birth injury due to clinical negligence. Although it is a case largely based on its own facts, it is nonetheless an example of careful judicial analysis of complex and detailed expert evidence. It demonstrates the importance of the parties and the court having a full understanding of the medical issues in order to properly address both breach and causation.

Causation in hypothetical scenarios: the interplay between Bolitho, Bolam & Montgomery

In this post, Christopher Fleming of 12KBW discusses the recent decision in Metcalf v Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust [2019] EWHC 3549 (QB). The case concerned a hypothetical situation that would have existed had the Claimant been referred for necessary investigations sooner. The test to be applied was set out by Lord Browne-Wilkinson … Continue reading Causation in hypothetical scenarios: the interplay between Bolitho, Bolam & Montgomery →

The difficulty in establishing negligence when an unrecognised complication arises: Collyer v Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 3577 (QB)

In this post Charley Turton of 12KBW discusses the recent decision of HHJ Coe QC (sitting as a High Court Judge) in Collyer v Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 3577 (QB). The Claimant suffered permanent nerve palsy of the hypoglossal nerves during laryngectomy. In 145 years of the operation being conducted such an … Continue reading The difficulty in establishing negligence when an unrecognised complication arises: Collyer v Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 3577 (QB) →

“But for” vs Material Contribution and the burden of proof – Andrews v Greater Glasgow Health Board [2019] CSOH 31

In this post Vanessa Cashman of 12KBW examines the recent decision of Lord Pentland [siting in the Outer House of the Scottish Court of Session] in Andrews v Greater Glasgow Health Board [2019] CSOH 31. Summary The deceased attended hospital with vomiting and diarrhoea, both black in colour and was discharged with a diagnosis of … Continue reading “But for” vs Material Contribution and the burden of proof – Andrews v Greater Glasgow Health Board [2019] CSOH 31 →

Fact-finding in consent cases and confirmation, no free-standing claim for damages arising from a failure to warn: Lucy Diamond v Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust [2019] EWCA Civ 585

This blog is by Helen Waller and John-Paul Swoboda of 12 KBW The Court of Appeal held that there was no free-standing claim for damages arising from a failure to warn of risks associated with a procedure that, on the facts, the Claimant would have undergone in any event. The facts giving rise to this … Continue reading Fact-finding in consent cases and confirmation, no free-standing claim for damages arising from a failure to warn: Lucy Diamond v Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust [2019] EWCA Civ 585 →

Forged Consent & Damages for the Cost of Raising a Healthy Child

In this blog Ted Cunningham of 12KBW examines the recent decision in ARB v IVF Hammersmith v R [2018] EWCA Civ 2803 in which the Court of Appeal confirmed that a parent cannot recover the pecuniary cost of bringing up a healthy child, regardless of whether that alleged loss arose in tort or out of … Continue reading Forged Consent & Damages for the Cost of Raising a Healthy Child →