Claimant v Solicitors Regulation Authority Limited

The tribunal found that the matters raised related to facts already tried and judged in previous proceedings from March 2023. There had been no material changes since those cases and the factual matrix remained the same, with the respondent maintaining the same restrictions on the claimant's practicing certificate stemming from the original 2015 investigation.

The tribunal found these allegations had already been considered in Judge Flood's reserved judgment dated 12 June 2023. The claimant was unable to provide clarity as to any fresh basis for discrimination claims, and the reasons for maintaining conditions on his practicing certificate stemmed from the original 2015 investigation with no changes of circumstance.

The tribunal applied principles of res judicata and issue estoppel, finding that the issue of how and why the decision was made to place restrictions on the claimant's practicing certificate had already been considered in the previous March 2023 hearing with findings of fact made.

The tribunal found no new facts related to these claims and that judgment in respect of the factual allegations raised had already been made. The claimant's complaints stemmed from the respondent's original decision to impose restrictions on his practicing certificate, which had already been addressed in previous proceedings.

The tribunal found that whether the original investigation into the claimant's conduct was tainted with discrimination or whether the claimant had been harassed had already been considered in considerable detail by the tribunal panel in March 2023 and addressed in Judge Flood's reserved judgment.