Lawyers have been urged by Ms Justice Mary Irvine, the new president of the High Court, to consider settling 320 personal injury cases which have been left "in limbo" since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement this morning, Ms Justice Irvine highlighted statistics showing that 97 per c
Personal Injury
It is a "myth" that claimants in Northern Ireland are being disadvantaged by the current personal injury discount rate, the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) has said. The Department of Justice recently launched a consultation on how the discount rate or "real rate of return", used by the courts to
Northern Ireland's Department of Justice is taking a "wholly unfair" approach to the personal injury discount rate, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has said. The Department recently launched a consultation on how the discount rate or "real rate of return", used by the courts to det
A consultation has been launched on how the discount rate used by the courts to determine the size of personal injury awards should be set. The discount rate, also known as the real rate of return, is currently determined by case law, but the justice minister also has the power under section 24 of t
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought by Dunnes Stores Limited Company over a July 2019 judgment in which Ms Justice Miriam O’Regan awarded the sum of €102,000 and costs to a respondent in respect of injuries sustained in a fall in a Co Cork store. Background
A personal injury lawyer has urged businesses to co-operate with the PSNI and insurance claims investigators amid a reported increase in hit-and-run incidents during the lockdown. Olivia Meehan, legal services director of JMK Solicitors, made the comments in response to reports from auto body repair
Personal injury lawyers and insurers have struck an agreement designed to ease the burden on the Northern Ireland courts during the coronavirus pandemic. The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have agreed a protocol which includes the freezing
The High Court has ruled against the Health Service Executive and St James’ Hospital Board in their application to set aside the renewal of a Personal Injury Summons granted by Mr Justice Anthony Barr in May 2019. Background
Proposals for a statutory cap on personal injuries payouts have been rejected by the solicitor and barrister professions. The Law Reform Commission last year set out four models for capping personal injury awards.
At least €130,000 has been paid out since 2015 in compensation to people who fell in the Temple Bar area, according to new figures. In response to a Freedom of Information request from the Irish Independent, Dublin City Council said it paid out in relation to 22 claims between 2015 and 2018.
Alison Cassidy, partner at BLM in Belfast, examines proposals to slash the personal injury discount rate in Northern Ireland. The Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland, Naomi Long MLA, has asked officials to undertake a statutory consultation with the Government Actuary and the Department of Fina
A man who sustained injuries when he collided with racehorses being worked in the Curragh has had his personal injuries claim dismissed in the High Court. Finding that the proximate cause of this “unusual, if not unprecedented, accident” was the man’s failure to keep a lookout when
A number of Irish law firms have been approached by a UK-based "claims harvesting" website offering to refer clients for a fee, the Law Society of Ireland has said. The unsolicited introductory email sent by the company offers to refer clients in pursuit of compensation for motor vehicle accidents.
The State has successfully appealed against a finding of liability in a trip and fall case which resulted in an award of over €158,000 in general and special damages. Overturning the High Court’s finding that the State was liable due to movement in concrete slabs which created a trip haza
Kildare solicitor Liam Moloney has been appointed to the executive board of the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL). Mr Moloney, managing partner at Moloney & Co Solicitors, was elected to serve as the organisation's revitalisation officer for a three-year term.