This Practice Note covers the clauses in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (CJCA 2015) that are relevant to personal injury claims. It considers fundamental dishonesty and inducements.

The main aim of CJCA 2015 is to make provision about how offenders are dealt with before and after conviction and to amend the offence of possession of extreme pornographic images. However, it also deals with proceedings and powers of courts and tribunal and judicial review.

The relevant sections of CJCA 2015 came into effect on 13 April 2015.

For practitioners working in the fields of personal injury and clinical negligence law, the significant parts of the Act are in Part 3 entitled ‘Courts and Tribunals’. The Act alters the common law position relating to dishonesty in civil claims. Courts already have power to strike out claims in their entirety for an abuse of process, but this power is to be exercised only in exceptional circumstances.