Personal injury news- Couple take no win, no fee case to European Courts

A retired couple in Spain have fallen victim to a controversial law in Valencia which allows local authorities to take their land.

Len and Tessa Deacon have found themselves in the middle of a long legal battle and are taking their case through the European Court of Human Rights on a no win, no fee basis.

The couple moved to Valencia hoping that it would be the beginning of a peaceful and relaxing retirement but the controversial land grabbing law (LRAU) has made their lives a living hell.

The law means that anybody with property in the Valencia province of Spain could be forced to give some of their land back to the local authority and pay large amounts of funds for them doing so.

The Deacons were told that they would have to give back 800 square meters of their property and pay 55,000 euros.

They also discovered that their house hadn't been included in the original plans for development and when questioning this, were told by the town hall officials that a map was unable to be redrawn.

Tessa said, "We have had four years of hassle and sleepless nights and our nerves have suffered.

"We are trying to negotiate with the town hall. Hopefully, if we can come to some conclusion it will be resolved."

The case is being taken to the European Court of Human Rights by the London-based no win, no fee lawyers, Irwin Mitchell, who in the past have worked on a number of previous no win, no fee claims in regard to the LRAU law.

Tessa added, ""The outcome of the Court of Human Rights is by no means certain.

"It's been hell. There is obviously a limit to how long we can go on under that sort of pressure."

.