VWF Professional Negligence Litigation
Judgment was handed down today in Barnaby v Raleys Solicitors, the first case to come to trial in the VWF Professional Negligence Litigation.
Mr Barnaby was one of many thousands of former coal miners who received payment under a Government scheme devised to compensate miners who had developed Vibration White Finger as a result of using vibratory tools. Many of these former miners have brought claims against their former solicitors alleging that the solicitors were negligent in the handling of their claims and that they were undercompensated as a result.
Giving judgment for Mr Barnaby, HHJ Gosnell held that Raleys had been negligent in handling the services element of Mr Barnaby’s claim, and that as a result of their negligence Mr Barnaby had lost the chance of recovering additional compensation. The lost chance was assessed at 75%.
Crispin Winser, instructed by Mellor Hargreaves, appeared for the claimant, led by Jonathan Watt-Pringle KC.
The Judgment is available here.
