THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACKPOOL MINOR

[Ian Thompson]

But the justice system heard the 2hr case in front of them.... and found in Favour of Steven Melia... WINNER OF THE MINOR SECTION......

..... the judge listen to the case and found in favour of steven melia who as now received his cheque plus cost... from Lancashire chess association

I'm curious to know who he sued. As far as I can see from their websites both the Blackpool Chess Conference and the Lancashire Chess Association are unincorporated associations, so he must have sued one or more individuals. I'm not the slightest bit interested in who the individuals were, but I am interested to know which official positions within these organisations were held to be liable,resulting in individual liability for the office holders.

It's a question that I've heard raised in local leagues where office holders have asked what risk they take of being personally sued by a player or club dissatisfied with something they've done (and whether the league show pay for insurance against such claims).

[Paul Buswell]

I'm curious to know who he sued. As far as I can see from their websites both the Blackpool Chess Conference and the Lancashire Chess Association are unincorporated associations, so he must have sued one or more individuals. I'm not the slightest bit interested in who the individuals were, but I am interested to know which official positions within these organisations were held to be liable,resulting in individual liability for the office holders.

It's a question that I've heard raised in local leagues where office holders have asked what risk they take of being personally sued by a player or club dissatisfied with something they've done (and whether the league show pay for insurance against such claims).

Way way way back when Jim Tennant-Smith sued the British Chess Federation, an unincorporated association, in the Greater Manchester matter, the action was against President (Sandy Cordon) and General Secretary (myself). An early action by Council (I think, it might have been the Executive Committee) was to indemnify Sandy and me against costs and liabilities.

PB

[Roger de Coverly]

I'm curious to know who he sued. As far as I can see from their websites both the Blackpool Chess Conference and the Lancashire Chess Association are unincorporated associations, so he must have sued one or more individuals.

It was presumably the Small Claims Court. Perhaps the rules there are slightly different as if the Lancashire Chess Association, being the organisation that runs Blackpool, refuses to pay prize money, you just name them, without being concerned to establish their exact legal status.

The Lancs v BCF dispute was somewhat more complicated, not helped by the obscurity of the injury done to individual Lancs members by the BCF in allowing a new organisation to be established.

[Mick Norris]

If the facts are as stated, I don't really see why Lancs contested the issue.

Is he from Manchester?

Liverpool I think, but I don't know him and haven't encountered him