Cage fighter and former reality TV star, Alex Reid, has found himself in the headlines again recently.
In all personal injury claims brought after April 2015, where the person bringing the case is found to have been fundamentally dishonest, the claim as a whole is likely to be dismissed and they are likely to be denied protection from paying the other side’s legal fees. This is the case even if parts of their claim have succeeded in whole or part. They can also be pursued for contempt of court arising from their dishonesty.
Two years ago, Reid made a claim in the County Court for damages regarding a car accident. As part of his claim, he relied upon alleged witness testimony from a Darren Summers, suggesting that Summers was a stranger who he had never met prior to the accident. In reality, Reid knew Summers and had knowingly lied in his claim. Such claims must, under CPR PD 22, paragraph 2.2, be accompanied by the statement, “I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true.” As it was not true, Reid’s lie had put him in contempt of court.
In AXA Insurance UK Plc v Reid, the High Court made it clear that actions like Reid’s were not “victimless crimes”, but in fact were profoundly dishonest and generated significant costs for insurers that were passed on to honest consumers. They also reaffirmed the position taken by the Court of Appeal in Liverpool Victoria v Khan in 2019 that the default position for such crimes was a custodial sentence. Taking into account all factors, the Court sentenced Reid to a custodial sentence of eight weeks.
If you have a personal injury case, please get in touch with the Cornwall-based personal injury law experts at Nalders Solicitors to see how we can help you, either by filling out this Contact Form or by calling one of our offices.