Personal Injury

A judge has urged personal injury solicitors to be more selective in taking up cases after dismissing five claims as clearly fraudulent. Judge Jacqueline Linnane of the Circuit Court directed that files relating to the cases should be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Law Society of Ireland has commended a Sinn Féin TD for "exposing the soaring super-profits" of insurance companies, who have blamed high insurance premiums on fraudulent personal injury claims. Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson, challenged representatives of major i

Rossa McMahon, solicitor at PG McMahon Solicitors, responds to recent comments about personal injury claims and the impact on insurance costs. Pat McDonagh has made, as ever, some interesting points about personal injury cases. He is absolutely right that insurance premiums have risen in recent year

A 20-year-old woman who was injured when the car in which she was a passenger was involved in a collision has been awarded €92,115 in damages for pain and suffering to date and into the future. Finding the woman to be an honest and truthful witness who did not seek to exaggerate or embellish he

A woman who suffered a fractured elbow in the course of a “White Knuckle Jet Boat Thrill Ride” which she booked through a travel agent prior to going on a cruise in the West Indies, has lost her claim for damages in respect of her injuries. Dismissing the action, Mr Justice Anthony Barr&

Legislation to toughen penalties for making fraudulent claims in the Irish courts will skip pre-legislative scrutiny and go straight to committee stage. The Oireachtas business committee has agreed to allow the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2019, which was brought forward by Fianna F&a

A woman whose car was rear-ended at traffic lights has been awarded €85,000 in general damages for pain and suffering caused by the accident. Stating that the extent of the injuries caused by the low speed crash were worsened as a result of existing degenerative changes in the woman’s spi

The managing director of personal injury specialist firm JMK Solicitors has been awarded a fellowship from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). Maurece Hutchinson has become one of only three Northern Ireland-based legal professionals to currently hold the accreditation.

Personal injury awards in the Irish courts are driving a "compo culture" in Ireland, the Government minister with special responsibility for insurance has said. Minister of state Michael D'Arcy said awards in the District Court and Circuit Court were too high and that "recalibration" would not be po

A hospital has lost an appeal against the finding that the two-year limitation period for issuing personal injury proceedings began when the plaintiff received a doctor’s medical report based on hospital records – not when he was informed in the weeks after his surgery that he had contra

A statutory committee of judges will draw up guidelines on personal injury pay-outs under plans approved by the Cabinet yesterday. The Government will table amendments to the Judicial Council Bill to give effect to the recommendation of the Personal Injuries Commission chaired by former judge Nichol

A dedicated anti-fraud unit in An Garda Síochána is not necessary to tackle insurance fraud, according to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. The establishment of a dedicated unit funded by the insurance industry was explored as a proposal by the Cost of Insurance Working Group (CIWG), whi

Retired judge Nicholas Kearns, who chaired the Personal Injuries Commission, has questioned whether the Law Society of Ireland could do more to stop solicitors representing fraudulent personal injury claimants. Mr Kearns, a former president of the High Court, told an international fraud prevention c

The Government should not blame the legal profession for hindering efforts to reduce insurance premiums in Ireland, retired judge Nicholas Kearns has said. The former High Court president, who chaired the Personal Injuries Commission, told RTÉ's Marian Finucane Show: "The question is now, ins

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has said Ireland's "very profitable" insurance industry needs to do more to reduce the costs of premiums. Speaking in the context of a Seanad debate on personal injury payouts, he said the level of awards "needs to be addressed and, indeed, a number of initiatives a