Negligence
SMDF: Plausible?
o, the evidence of implausibility in the Law Society narrative is this; there is no evidence of admission by the directors of SMDF of their presumed disgrace.
The SMDF debacle
That SMDF has failed is, of course, of great concern. It was promoted by the Law Society of Ireland. Its directors were, invariably, past Presidents of the Law Society. Arguably, the failure of the SMDF is a failure of the Law Society. But that is not to say that the Law Society’s members are responsible for that failure. The members had no method of seeking accountability for the activities of the SMDF or the Law Society’s failures relating to it. (Even the High Court is constrained here; the Law Society of Ireland is a corporate body, but a very unusual one; it is not subject to the provisions of the Companies Acts. Most of the jurisdiction of the High Court over corporate bodies is derived from those Acts).
The Statute of Limitations
The title to this post is a misnomer; it implies that there is one single location where the law on limitations of action is stated. This is not the case, but it is the colloquial method of referring to the issue. The issue is this; at what point and in what circumstances will an alleged injured person (injured in body, property or reputation) be prevented from maintaining legal proceedings, for redress, due to delay in bringing the proceedings? All common […]
Vendor says no
For the legal profession, there is good news in this. It means a solicitor should be paid, by a client, not for accepting instructions, but for giving advice.
PROOF OF LOSS
Proving a loss of profit is a common event in “business interruption” insurance. It will also arise as part of a claim against a wrongdoer where the damage complained of has closed or stymied the business. However, it is not immediately obvious what the method of calculation should be. The claim is, inherently, speculative. The loss is the profit which would have been generated but for the wrongful act. The turnover for a prior relevant period would be a start, […]
Contests
If the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico happened in Irish waters who would be held responsible? The question is intentionally ambiguous. It seems to refer to a functioning “administration” which would search out culprits and assign blame and punishment. It seems also to refer to the principles by which blame and perhaps punishment would be assigned. The first aspect might lead to a rant and should be avoided; it is the second aspect to which I refer, […]
Financial Services – complaints
1. I have lost my savings in an investment with XXX Building Society. What can I do? It depends on the facts. Deposits in a Building Society or a Bank are protected by the Government guarantee. Even with the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society, the depositors with those institutions were secured and the deposits are available to be withdrawn. (In reality, all the deposits were lost in those institutions; it is the taxpayer who is […]
Medical Accidents
The frequency with which patients are injured in Irish hospitals is very high. The current estimate is of 160,000 per year. Who knows the exact figure? Presumably, the Health Service Executive does. If it does, why is that information not made public? If it does not know, why does it not know? Let us assume that the HSE is a competent body and infused with goodwill towards the patients. Would it not be a good idea to try to eliminate […]
Auditors
However, an auditor is obliged to take account of the possibility of fraud. Just because a valuation is on a file from an “independent” agent the auditor is not relieved of his/her obligation to consider whether the accounts show a true and fair view of the fiinances of the entity being audited. The fraud may be in the valuations.
Quinn Insurance
Here are some issues not addressed so far (in the papers I read). (A) Quinn Insurance has a board of Directors. Sean Quinn is not on that board. The board has said nothing about the seizure of the company by the Provisional Administrators. Sean Quinn never stops talking about it and issuing press releases and public statements, including TV interviews. Is he in fact in charge of Quinn Insurance? This is possible. Under Section 27 of the Companies Act 1990:- […]