Legal News
Three-month suspended sentence for PI claim inaccuracies (11 November 2013)
Date: 11/11/2013
A 60-year-old woman has been given a suspended prison sentence, after a court found that she had exaggerated an injury to her knee after tripping and falling, in order to make a huge personal injury (PI) claim.
The mother of 13 children was named in court as Mrs Fari from Lightfoot Road in Hornsey, north London. She tried to claim £750,000 from Homes for Haringey after she tripped on a pavement and fell.
After the accident in May 2008 – in which Mrs Fari twisted her knee – Homes for Haringey admitted liability and offered Mrs Fari £7,500 in compensation. However she pursued a much larger PI claim.
In October 2012 her claim was thrown out of court after undercover video evidence showed that physical impairments she claimed to suffer during medical examinations were not consistent with how she moved while out near her home.
In the High Court last week, Mr Justice Spencer held both Mrs Fari and her husband Piper in contempt of court, after finding that he was complicit in the deception. The judge said that Mrs Fari had presented a “grossly false” impression of the severity of her symptoms after the accident, in both legal documents and to doctors who examined her.
Mrs Fari was given a two-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and has until 29 November to appeal or face custody.
Compensation for slips, trips and falls
Injuries from slips, trips and falls are handled under the area of law known as personal injury.
If the accident and injuries are the fault of another party, then victims can claim for their injuries, as well as out-of-pocket expenses and compensation for pain and suffering (known as special damages).
Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors cover a wide range of personal injury claims and can advise on how much a claim might be worth.
Contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.