A motion for an interlocutory injunction was brought to prevent the City of Toronto from enforcing its By-law that prohibited camping and erecting tents, structures, and shelters in City parks, City of Toronto Municipal Code, c. 608. The applicants did not challenge the validity of the By-law but sought an order to have it suspended …Read more

The applicants appealed a decision affirming the constitutionality of Brian’s Law (Mental Health Legislative Reform), 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 9. (“Brian’s Law”), which was enacted by the Ontario legislature in 2000. Brian’s Law amended the Mental Health Act (“MHA”), adding provisions that expanded criteria for involuntary committal in a psychiatric hospital and introduced community treatment …Read more

The applicants’ claim was based on s. 27(1)(b) of the Constitution – the right to sufficient food and water, which they submitted found further expression in the provisions of the Water Services Act 108 of 1997 (“WSA”). Their complaint argued that farm occupiers and labour tenants, especially the applicants, lacked “access to sufficient water, basic …Read more

The applicant, Mr. Slavko Krajnc, was a professional truck driver in Celje, Slovenia. On September 29, 2003, Krajnc was deemed to have “category III work-related disability” as a result of his epilepsy, which rendered him unable to work as a truck driver. Accordingly, he had the right to be assigned to a different, more suitable …Read more

The appellant, MP, was detained and tortured by the Sir Lankan security forces because he was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. MP subsequently moved to the United Kingdom in 2005, where he sought asylum, in 2009, on the basis that he would be at further risk of ill-treatment if he returned …Read more

The claimant, Ms. Meadows, brought this case before the High Court of Justice to recover additional costs for raising her son, who suffered from Hemophilia and autism. Prior to her pregnancy, the claimant, after seeing her nephew diagnosed with hemophilia, had taken blood tests to determine whether she was a carrier and was informed by …Read more

The second and the third applicants in this case were the parents of the first applicant (CG) who was born healthy in 2016 but encountered severe health problems thereafter, for which he remained hospitalized by the time the case was brought before the European Court of Human Rights (the ECHR). CG suffered from a rare …Read more

The issue of the case was whether AM, deceased daughter of IM and MM, gave sufficient informed consent to export her gametes to the U.S. to be fertilized there using a donor selected by her parents and used in the treatment of in vitro fertilization of her mother, IM. Even if it found that AM …Read more

The Kings College Hospital challenged respondent C’s ability to decide to end life-saving treatment, effectively choosing to die, by alleging that she lacked mental capacity. C had attempted to commit suicide by ingesting 60 paracetamol tablets with champagne.  She made this decision shortly after undergoing  treatment for breast cancer and ending of a long term …Read more

The appellant, Craig Mathieson, represented his deceased son, whose Disability Living Allowance (DLA) had been suspended by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The son had been severely disabled since birth and required a high level of care. His parents were his primary care-givers. The son was admitted to the hospital for chronic …Read more

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (“Commission”) brought an application alleging that the rights of women in Northern Ireland who are or become pregnant with a serious malformation of the fetus (SMF), fatal fetal abnormality (FFA) or who are pregnant as a result of sexual crimes were being breached by Section 58 and Section 59 …Read more

The Claimant was a male-to-female transgendered woman who challenged the requirement that she was recorded as the father on her children’s birth certificates. Following the birth of her daughter, but before the birth of her son, the Claimant decided to live as a man and changed her name to a female name. The Claimant was …Read more

The applicant was severely disabled as a result of Down’s Syndrome. The applicant lived with her mother, her nearest relative. She often exhibited difficult behavior and towards the end of 2002 social workers had become extremely concerned about the impact on the physical and mental health of the applicant and her mother. On 31 January …Read more

The claimant, DD, a Somali man, was granted asylum and indefinite leave to remain shortly after his arrival in the UK in 2003. Due to his involvement in fundraising for Al-Shabaab, a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (TPIM) was imposed in 2012. He was charged with breaching the TPIM, remanded into custody, and was sentenced …Read more

The appellants, all individuals suffering from severe medical conditions, wished to die but were physically incapable of doing so themselves, due to their respective medical limitations. They could not find anyone to assist them in ending their lives; UK law criminalized assisting suicide. At issue was whether s. 2(1) of the Suicide Act 1961 (“s. …Read more

A pregnant 37-year-old woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder was compulsorily detained under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983. She had been on and off medication for 8 years and had suffered both remissions and relapses, due to which she was detained at various times in Italy, France and in England where she currently …Read more

The applicant was a man suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia. He was indicted in the United State as a co-conspirator in an effort to establish a jihad training camp in Oregon. At the time of trial, the applicant was detained in a hospital in the UK and was subject to an extradition request made by …Read more

Martin suffered a stroke in 2008 leaving him unable to move or speak. He was completely dependent on his family and spent almost all of his time in bed. The effects of his stroke were permanent. Because of his disabilities, he was not able to take his own life. He had attempted to end his …Read more

The Applicant, a UK citizen born in 1947, alleged that the seclusion policy (“Policy”) of Ashworth Special Hospital (“Ashworth”), the maximum security hospital where he was committed for a mental illness, violated the European Convention on Human Rights. After several instances of incarceration and hospitalization on account of various mental health issues, the applicant was …Read more

After sounding a car horn repeatedly and behaving in a highly agitated manner, the applicant was arrested by police in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It was determined that before his arrest, the man had inflicted serious injury upon his aunt at his residence. He was detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act, which allows …Read more

At the time of the events involved in the case, ZH was a sixteen-year-old boy who suffered from autism and epilepsy. ZH was taken on a pool visit where he became fixated by the water. His carers and the pool staff could not touch him because he would have reacted adversely. The pool manager called …Read more

The applicant’s son was admitted as a voluntary patient as he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and there was a fear that he might commit suicide. He was kept in a crisis room in the intensive care unit. However, on the first night itself, the applicant’s son jumped out of the window and died. The applicant’s …Read more

The claimants stated that the deceased was a voluntary psychiatric patient. She was assessed by the hospital as a high risk of suicide attempt as she had done so before. The hospital allowed her home leave for two days. During that period, she committed suicide. The claimants stated that the hospital and its staff were …Read more

The applicant is a publisher of a national daily newspaper in the United Kingdom, The Daily Mirror (the “applicant”). In early 2001 the applicant carried a front-page article entitled “Naomi: I am a drug addict”, placed between two color photographs of Ms. Naomi Campbell, a well-known model. The first photograph showed her dressed in a …Read more

The applicants were British nationals, the first applicant being the father of the second applicant who underwent a clotting test against the bruises on her legs with a General Practitioner who found no abnormality. Months later, the second applicant (who at the time was 9 years old) was taken to the same General Practitioner for the …Read more

Mr. Schultz-Hoff, an employee of Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (DRB) with a recognized disability, became unfit to work in September 2004 and was on continuous sick leave until the termination of his employment on September 30, 2005. On May 13, 2005, during his sick leave, Mr. Schultz-Hoff requested that he take his remaining paid annual leave …Read more

Ms. Boyle brought a claim against her employer, SCA Packaging, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the 1995 Act). Ms. Boyle had been employed by SCA Packaging as a buyer/stock controller since 1969. In 1974, she consulted an ENT specialist about constant hoarseness in her throat. She was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords. …Read more

Jean Smith brought an action for damages against her employee, Northamptonshire Council, under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, for injuries she suffered in her employment. Ms. Smith was employed by the council as a driver and a carer. Her duties included picking up Mrs. Cotter, who was confined to a wheelchair, …Read more

YA was a Palestinian diagnosed with liver problems. He had been involved with Hamas but, when asked to participate in a political assassination, fled to Egypt. In Egypt, YA’s liver problems worsened, but he could not access medical treatment because of inadequate medical facilities. Therefore, he flew to London and claimed asylum. His claim for …Read more

Six men appealed the decision of the Exeter County Court that denied recovery in tort for the damage of their sperm held in frozen storage at a facility run by the North Bristol NHS Trust (the “Trust”). All six of the men were diagnosed with cancer and were advised that chemotherapy was the appropriate treatment. …Read more

The law applicable to abortion and medically induced miscarriages in Northern Ireland was a 19th century law (the Offences against the Person Act 1861), which made it a crime to procure a miscarriage. Courts had interpreted this principle to decide that if a person who procured the abortion acted in good faith for the purpose …Read more

The applicant, an inmate in prison, appealed to the European Court of Human Rights because he wanted to correspond privately with an external medical specialist. In 2001, the applicant suffered a brain hemorrhage while he was on bail awaiting trial for a conspiracy to sell drugs. He underwent surgery twice before being discharged to prison. …Read more

The appellants challenged a ban on smoking at the Rampton Hospital. The smoking ban was introduced because of a policy by Nottinghampshire Health Care NHS Trust (the Trust), which banned smoking in and outside of the hospital. The Smoke-Free (Exemption & Vehicles) Regulations 2007 (the Exemption Regulation) allowed the prohibition of smoking inside, but did …Read more

The appellant approached the housing authority for help in finding alternate accommodation for her. Under Section 177(1) of the Homelessness Act (2002), it was not reasonable for a person to remain in their house if there was a possibility of domestic or other violence. The appellant’s husband was mistreating her, verbally abusing her and would …Read more