DJ Vincent, Oxford CC, 4th June 2015

 

The Defendant accepted the Claimant's offers for personal injury and pre-accident value, but not the claim for credit hire and storage. The Defendant sought further information about those heads of loss, but the Claimant responded by removing the claim from the Portal because it was 'too complex'. Part 7 proceedings were issued claiming for all heads of loss including those agreed in the Portal.

 

The Defendant applied for judgment to be entered for those heads of loss already agreed in the Portal, and for the remaining heads of loss to be allocated to the small claims track.

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DJ Vincent (as she then was) held that individual heads of loss could be agreed in the Portal and that they were binding.

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There have been a few cases on this point since. See Bushell v Parry (first tier appeal) which held that agreement on individual heads of loss are not binding but the circumstances were odd, and Maddocks v Lyne (first tier appeal by DCJ) which held that they are binding in the Portal and mostly binding outside the Portal, Bewicke-Copley preferred over Bushell.