All courts - 2020

261 judgments
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Results. 261 judgments found.

261 judgments
December 2020
Interlocutory injunction dismissed due to material non-disclosure and misrepresentation by the claimant.
  • Civil procedure — interlocutory injunction — Order 10 r.27 CPR — three-part test (serious question to be tried; inadequacy of damages; where justice lies) — duty of full and frank disclosure — material non-disclosure fatal to injunction — adverse possession and public land.
23 December 2020
Interlocutory injunction refused where competing title claims and factual disputes made interlocutory relief inappropriate.
  • Interlocutory injunctions — Order 10 r.27 CPR — serious question to be tried — adequacy of damages in land disputes — balance of convenience — competing title deeds — cautions against deciding factual title conflicts on affidavit.
22 December 2020
Interlocutory injunction refused where disputed ownership and longstanding cultivation justified maintaining the status quo.
  • Civil procedure — Interlocutory injunctions — Requirements: serious question to be tried; damages inadequate for land; balance of convenience/status quo — Effect of longstanding occupation and cultivation.
22 December 2020
22 December 2020
Interlocutory injunction maintained to preserve status quo over disputed land pending trial due to serious issue and inadequate damages.
  • Interlocutory injunction — serious question to be tried — adequacy of damages for real property — balance of convenience — sale procured by duress/fraud — nemo dat quod non habet (cannot sell what one does not own) — maintenance of status quo; restraint on encroachment, sale and disposal of disputed land.
21 December 2020
18 December 2020
18 December 2020
17 December 2020
12 December 2020
8 December 2020
8 December 2020
7 December 2020
Applicant established a prima facie defamation claim warranting an interlocutory injunction and removal of defamatory social-media posts.
  • Civil procedure — interlocutory injunction — American Cyanamid test — defamation via social media — freedom of expression versus protection of reputation — order to remove online posts and commence action within fixed period.
5 December 2020
4 December 2020
4 December 2020
November 2020
A defendant seeking a stay must show real risk of serious prejudice; mere concurrent criminal proceedings do not justify a stay.
  • Civil procedure — stay of civil proceedings pending related criminal trial — applicant must show real risk of serious prejudice causing injustice; mere factual overlap insufficient; defendant not party to criminal proceedings cannot claim such prejudice; differing standards of proof between criminal and civil proceedings relevant.
30 November 2020
The accused were convicted of obtaining money by false pretences, misuse of public office, forgery and uttering false documents.
  • Criminal law — Obtaining by false pretences; Corrupt Practices Act — misuse of public office; Forgery and uttering false documents; Evidentiary reliance on forensic handwriting analysis and circumstantial/common-intention proof; Burden of proof — beyond reasonable doubt.
29 November 2020
Minor electrocuted by defendant's live wire awarded MK23,000,000 for pain, loss of amenities and disfigurement.
  • Personal injury — Electric burns to minor — Assessment of general damages for pain and suffering, loss of amenities and disfigurement — Weight of medical reports, photographs and court observation — Quantum of award and consideration of comparative authorities.
27 November 2020
Registrar taxed applicants’ bill at MWK73,599,329.30, disallowing party costs for in‑house counsel and permitting two counsel to be indemnified.
  • Costs assessment — Registrar’s discretion on number of counsel; in‑house counsel and indemnity for party‑and‑party costs; inclusion of Judicial Review work in taxed bill following certification as constitutional matter; taxation of bill to MWK73,599,329.30.
26 November 2020
Accused acquitted due to involuntary confession, insufficient evidence, and unresolved jurisdictional doubts.
  • Criminal law — admissibility of cautions — involuntary confession obtained under alleged beating and illiteracy; Territorial jurisdiction — section 5 Penal Code — offences partly committed abroad; Proof beyond reasonable doubt — insufficient eyewitness identification and missing State witnesses; Common intention (section 22) — murder not a probable consequence of drug-dealing enterprise; Police investigative deficiencies and unlawful coercion.
24 November 2020
20 November 2020
18 November 2020
17 November 2020
16 November 2020
16 November 2020
Dismissal unfair: employer failed to prove misconduct and denied the employee a meaningful opportunity to call witnesses; compensation ordered.
  • Employment law — unfair dismissal — burden of proof on employer — right to a meaningful hearing and to call witnesses — insufficient evidence linking employee to alleged theft — compensation assessment by Registrar.
16 November 2020
11 November 2020
11 November 2020
11 November 2020
11 November 2020
Unlawful governmental seizure prevents acquisition of title by adverse possession; limitation tolled until plaintiff discovered title.
  • Limitation Act s6 & s21 — disability and extension of limitation period; Registered Land Act s134(1) — adverse possession requirements (peaceable, open, uninterrupted); unlawful governmental seizure taints successors and precludes acquisition by prescription.
11 November 2020
11 November 2020
10 November 2020
9 November 2020
9 November 2020
7 November 2020
6 November 2020
5 November 2020
3 November 2020
2 November 2020
October 2020
30 October 2020
27 October 2020
An offender’s youth and individual circumstances can justify reducing a defilement sentence despite the offence’s seriousness.
  • Criminal law — Defilement — Seriousness and sentencing trend — Starting points and precedent for rape/defilement — Role of offender’s age, maturity and mitigation in sentencing — Prevalence as aggravating factor — Reduction of sentence to time served.
27 October 2020
27 October 2020
27 October 2020
26 October 2020
Dismissal for alleged loss of equipment was unfair because employer failed to consider mitigating factors; compensation ordered to be assessed.
  • Employment law — unfair dismissal — employer’s burden to prove substantive and procedural fairness — consideration of mitigating factors (length of service, past record, recovery of property) — compensation under s.63 Employment Act.
23 October 2020
23 October 2020
23 October 2020
21 October 2020