Personal injury news
22/04/2009

Fraudulent claimants risk fines and legal costs for lying

Personal injury claimants risk court fines and a criminal record if they exaggerate their injuries.

In a recent landmark case, a court found against one fraudster, imposing a huge legal bill and convicting her of contempt of court.

A UK woman claimed a car accident forced her to give up work after suffering fybromyalgia and she was unable to walk more than about ten steps on most days.

She made a compensation claim for £800,000 in 2005 but eventually settled for £25,000 last June. But the insurers who lost the case decided to employ private detectives to try to prove she was lying about the extent of her injuries.

When the case came to court this spring, the judge said most of her claim for personal injury compensation seemed untrue, pointing to video evidence that showed the woman was not as badly disabled as she had claimed.

A spokeswoman for the insurers said the case "sends out a strong message that dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any measure to discourage fraudsters is good news for honest policyholders."

It is believed the case made legal history as the first personal injury claim case where private contempt proceedings were brought against a claimant accused of exaggerating disabilities.