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22 November 2019 / Katherine Deal KC , Asela Wijeyaratne
Issue: 7865 / Categories: Features , Personal injury
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Planes, blame & claims!

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Katherine Deal QC & Asela Wijeyaratne consider the meaning of ‘accident’ under the Montreal Convention
  • Exclusive liability regime & the requiremnt that bodily injury is suffered as a result of an ‘accident’.

In our last update we discussed recent cases under the Montreal Convention pushing the boundaries of one element of the cause of action for recovery of damages for injury under article 17(1) – the requirement that ‘bodily injury’ is suffered (‘Flying in the face of convention’, NLJ 14 June 2019, p9). Here, we examine the recent High Court decision of Labbadia v Alitalia (Societa Aerea Italiana S.p.A) [2019] EWHC 2103 (Admin), which places strain on another element of the cause of action—the requirement that the bodily injury is suffered as a result of an ‘accident’.

The Montreal Convention 1999 is a multilateral treaty to which the UK is a party. The Convention applies to international carriage of passengers by aircraft. It provides (among other things) an exclusive liability regime for the death or injury to passengers. The Montreal Convention is the successor to the Warsaw Convention,

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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