Special damages meaning

Checklist This Checklist summarises the potential claims against a defendant where the claimant in a personal injury case has died before trial. It reviews the principal statutory regimes—the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 (LR(MP)A 1934) and the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 (FAA 1976)—and indicates who may bring the claim and the recoverable heads of loss. For further guidance, see Practice Notes: Law Reform Act or Fatal Accidents Act? and Claims involving a fatality—heads of damage... Cause of action Claim on behalf of the deceased’s estate (under LR(MP)A 1934) Who can bring the claim? By the administrator or executor of the estate. A valid will or Grant of Letters of Administration will be required... Heads of loss Guidance on the recoverable heads of loss is provided by LR(MP)A 1934 and FAA 1976 and in the referenced Practice Notes...

This Checklist This Checklist helps pinpoint typical recoverable historic financial outgoings and losses (special damages or historic pecuniary losses) arising before trial. It also aids in collating suitable evidence and highlights the questions that commonly emerge when valuing these losses, setting out recurring issues for consideration as appropriate in practice. For additional guidance, see: Past expenses and losses—overview...

In this issue: Key PI and Clinical negligence developments Civil procedure rule committee minutes Psychiatric and occupational stress Injuries caused by animals Claims involving a child Claims involving a fatality Costs and funding Other PI and Clinical negligence news LexTalk® PI & Clinical Negligence: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts LexisNexis® Webinars Useful information Key PI and Clinical negligence developments MoJ announces reduction in CFO’s interest rates The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed reduced interest rates for the Courts Funds Office (CFO) special and basic accounts. The special account rate moves from 4.75% to 4.50%, while the basic account rate shifts from 3.56% to 3.38%. Effective from 3 March 2025, the revision follows the Bank of England’s base rate cut on 6 February 2025 and is intended to ensure the CFO Service can continue to cover operational costs. See: LNB News 04/03/2025 38...

In this issue: New technologies Information technology Internet Data protection Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Reputation management LexTalk®TMT: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information New technologies iQIYI brings a landmark copyright claim against Chinese AI start-up MiniMax. According to MLex, the China-based video-streaming service has filed proceedings in a local court, accusing the domestic artificial intelligence start-up of infringement linked to AI model training and content production. See: iQIYI sues Chinese AI startup MiniMax for copyright infringement in landmark case. MLex has learned. Appeal Tracker: Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks v Emotional Perception AI Ltd In Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks v Emotional Perception AI Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 825, the Supreme Court granted permission to appeal on 29 November 2024. Earlier, the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) upheld the hearing officer’s appeal from...

Note: the CPRC has stopped sharing the background papers alongside the minutes, so no explanatory documents accompany this News Analysis to set out the matters discussed. A copy of the minutes appears here now: Minutes of CPRC meeting 3 October 2025. Welcome, apologies and introductory remarks (item 1) The Chair greeted members at the opening meeting of the legal year. Minutes from the 4 July 2025 meeting (see News Analysis: Minutes of the CPR Committee meeting—4 July 2025) were approved, and the action log was recorded as noted. Part 82—closed material procedure (item 2) MoJ officials outlined the subsequent tranche of reforms from Sir Duncan Ouseley’s 2022 CMP report findings. The Committee approved a revised new rule 82.26A, to be renamed ‘Special Advocate Position Statement’ and reframed by reference to CPR 5.4B and 5.4C provisions. Subject to minor drafting tweaks, the rule will feature in the winter update package. Regarding the proposed new practice direction, the Committee stressed engaging with judges and practitioners experienced in CMP,...

PI & Clinical negligence horizon scanner—July 2025 [Archived] ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is not maintained. It summarises the principal legal developments relevant to personal injury and clinical negligence practitioners as at July 2025. For developments predating this horizon scanner, see PI and Clinical Negligence horizon scanning and key cases—overview. Key PI and clinical negligence developments The personal injury discount rate—a review In late 2024, the Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood MP, revealed the outcome of her five‑month review of the discount rate, initiated in July 2024. One month after the new +0.5% discount rate took effect, Thea Wilson (barrister at 12 King’s Bench Walk) assesses its impact on cases, the responses from claimant and defendant representatives, and the consequences of the change for legal practitioners. See News Analysis: The personal injury discount rate—a review. MoJ announces reduction in CFO’s interest rates The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced lower interest rates for the Courts Funds Office’s (CFO) special and basic accounts...

This Practice Note addresses general damages in relation to personal injuries and will consider: What are general damages Personal Injuries Resolution Board (PIRB) Level of damages in each court Book of Quantum (BOQ) Personal Injuries Guidelines (PIG) Assessing damages for multiple injuries How payments of damages awards are made Reduction in awards of general damages What are general damages General damages are compensation awarded to a person for the pain and suffering experienced as a result of a personal injury. They cover harm endured to date and what is anticipated in the future, and include both physical harm and psychiatric injury. They are distinct from special damages, which reimburse out-of-pocket losses (such as medical or travel expenses) and loss of earnings arising from the injury. When valuing general damages, there should be an appraisal of the reduction in the injured person’s capacity to enjoy life. The different categories of general damages are outlined below. For further...

This Practice Note examines the American Cyanamid test used by the courts to determine whether to grant temporary injunctive relief. It sets out the sources of the court’s authority and the principles that inform a judge’s discretion when considering an interim injunction application under those guidelines. For wider guidance on injunctive relief, including the distinction between interim and final, and between prohibitory and mandatory orders, see Practice Note: Injunctions—guiding principles. For interim remedies focused on preserving assets and/or evidence, see: Freezing injunctions—guiding principles Proprietary freezing injunctions Search and imaging orders—guiding principles Interim delivery up orders and preservation of property This content should also be read in conjunction with: Interim injunctions—on notice applications Interim injunctions—without notice applications Interim injunctions—drafting the order Guiding principles for interim injunctions The jurisdiction to grant interim injunctions arises from section 37(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 and CPR 25.1(1)(a), as outlined in Practice Note: Injunctions—guiding principles—The...

Schedule of loss & dependency in a fatal accident claim [ IN THE COUNTY COURT AT [ INSERT ] OR IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE ] [ [ Specify division ] ] [ [ Insert location ] DISTRICT REGISTRY ] Claim No: Between AB, Claimant (the Widow and Executrix of the estate of A, deceased) and C Limited, Defendant Note On 2 December 2024 the Lord Chancellor confirmed that the discount rate would move to a positive 0.5%. That positive 0.5% rate takes effect from 11 January 2025. Under Schedule A1 to the Damages Act 1996, later reviews must occur within five years of the end of the previous review, meaning the next review must begin on or before 2 December 2029. The Claimant retains the right to revise, modify or supplement this schedule at any time up to and including trial...

1 Sanctions (long form) For clause 1, the following terms are to be interpreted as set out below: Losses means all damages, liabilities, demands, costs and expenses [including all legal and other professional fees, costs and expenses], claims, actions and proceedings [(including all consequential, direct, indirect, special or incidental loss or punitive damages or loss, fines, penalties, interest and loss of profit or any other form of economic loss (including loss of reputation))]; Sanctioned Activity means any activity that falls within sanctions imposed by a Sanctioning Body; Sanctioning Body means the United Kingdom, United States of America, United Nations, European Union and any other applicable local, national or multinational government agency, department, official, parliament, public or statutory person or any government or professional body, regulatory or supervisory authority, board or other body responsible for imposing and/or administering sanctions; Sanctioned Entity means any person or entity that is, or that is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by a person or entity that is,...

Submitted on behalf of the claimant Statement of evidence by [ insert initial and surname of witness ] Witness statement number: [ insert number of witness statement in relation to the witness ] Exhibits: [ insert initials and number of each exhibit referred to ] Date statement signed: [ insert date ] [ Date of translation: [ insert date ] ] IN THE COUNTY COURT AT [ location ] Claim number: [ insert number ] Parties [ name ] Claimant (a protected party by [ name ] his [ family relationship ] litigation friend) and [ name ] Defendant WITNESS STATEMENT OF [ insert name ] I, [ insert full name ], of [ if the witness is making the statement in their professional, business or other occupational capacity, insert the address at which they work, the position they hold and the name of their firm or employer ], acting as Legal Representative for the Claimant, intend...

If the claimant qualifies as a protected party within the Court of Protection’s remit, fees imposed by that Court, both historic and prospective, may properly form part of the claim made. Further charges will also be incurred where a deputy is appointed to manage the claimant’s property and financial affairs. These charges and expenses can be set out within the schedule of past and future loss and damage as distinct heads of damage...