Are the courts softening their approach to late changes to experts? Dr Chris Pamplin reports
There is a heavy burden on a party looking to change expert late in the day which, save in exceptional circumstances, will be difficult to discharge. However, there has been a steady stream of cases where the court has accepted that the particular circumstances of the case justify the application.
Guntrip : setting the bar high
The often-quoted authority of the Court of Appeal’s decision in Guntrip v Cheney Coaches Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 392 emphasises the nature of the burden. In that case, the decision of a trial judge to refuse permission to instruct new experts following a joint statement that was unfavourable to the claimant was upheld. However, this must be weighed against, and contrasted with, the decision in Edwards-Tubb v JD Wetherspoon plc [2011] EWCA Civ 136, [2011] All ER (D) 276 (Feb), which established that, in the ordinary course of events, a party should not be forced to rely on the evidence of an expert witness in whom confidence has been lost.
Generally speaking, the nearer
