Legal cases highlight key issues around vettings

A High Court case involving financial advice has important relevance for the equestrian world

- ELEANOR JONES

LEGAL cases involving horses – and barristers – have highlighted the need for prospective buyers, rather than sellers, to engage vets for prepurchase examinations (PPE).

A recent Court of Appeal ruling on financial advice has relevance for the equestrian world, said Hannah Bradley of the Equine Law Firm, as it concerned a professional’s duty of care to a third party who is not his client.

The case was to do with advice given by a barrister to promoters of tax-avoidance schemes, which were sold via financial advisors to investors. The schemes failed and investors tried to sue the barrister. But the court found the barrister had no duty of care to the investors, who were not his clients.

Ms Bradley, who has recently been instructed in a case concerning a PPE, told H&H it is an established legal principle that if a vet is negligent, and that negligence causes a loss to their client, they would be liable for compensation. A common example is if a vet misses an issue during a PPE.