‘Agony of fighting for my child in the courts… by a family lawyer: In a candid account, a lawyer reveals how – when she found herself in her clients’ shoes – it almost destroyed her’

by reporting watch team | Aug 24, 2021 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail published a story with the headline above, written by Michelle Goodman, a mother who had been in dispute with her child’s father about contact arrangements. (Michelle Goodman is not the author’s real name).  We quickly recognised...

The Lachaux libel case returns with an expensive result for the publishers

by Julie D | Jul 7, 2021 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This post is not about family law; it’s about defamation law. It involves alleged behaviour by a husband (Bruno Lachaux) to his wife (Afsana Lachaux). Since their separation, Mr and Mrs Lachaux have been involved in litigation in the family court which we wrote about...

Misdiagnosis case update

by Julie D | May 18, 2021 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This judgment, Cardiff City Council v A Mother & Ors [2021] EWFC 44, relates to the case that Emily Dugan wrote about in the Sunday Times and that we wrote about here. This judgment appears to be the only one given by HHJ Jonathan Furness that has ever been...

The Domestic Abuse appeals – a missed opportunity for cultural change?

by Guest Post | Apr 2, 2021 | Analysis, Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This is a guest post from Olive Craig. Olive is senior legal officer at Rights of Women. She is a qualified family law solicitor specialising in children law and legal aid. Rights of Women is a legal charity that provides free, confidential legal advice to women in...

Domestic Abuse Conjoined Appeals – update

by reporting watch team | Mar 28, 2021 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

There is still no decision from the Court of Appeal on the conjoined domestic abuse appeals that we wrote about in February. The Court of Appeal considers Domestic Abuse – Part 1 However, we did notice two judgments from HHJ Tolson published on Friday –...

Should a journalist be able to see all the court papers behind a flawed decision that a child should be adopted? Marshalling the arguments

by Alice T | Mar 11, 2021 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious, Transparency News

Last week the Court of Appeal heard journalist Melanie Newman’s appeal against an order against disclosure of the court papers behind a flawed decision that a young child should be adopted (subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal with the child going home). I...