Fraud, Facebook & Fundamental Dishonesty

But what if you’re living a double life? You’re telling your personal injury solicitor that you are a shadow of your formal self, psychologically and physically ruined as a result of a road traffic accident, but your online presence, including your Facebook account, shows you living a normal life, unencumbered by injury and playing 5 -a- side for your local pub team... 

 

The courts obviously don't like people to have embellished a claim for personal injury. Enter the recent case of David Pinkus v Direct Line [2018] EWHC 1671; an example of another claim being dismissed under section 57 Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. You see, whilst it was admitted that a road traffic accident had occurred, and indeed, as proven by his nearest personal injury solicitors, the incident was not Mr Pinkus’ doing, Mr Pinkus decided to go for gold (remember the TV show?), and pleaded that he could not work as a film director as a result of his injuries as sustained in the road traffic accident. And so his accident injury solicitors entered court pleadings, asking that the court asses Mr Pinkus’ claim in the sum of £850,000.00. 

 

So, all is good, right? I mean, the incident wasn’t Mr Pinkus’ fault; and his instructed personal injury solicitors had advised him that his claim was worth a staggering £850,000.00 in compensation.. Well no. Not really. You see, Mr Pinkus had over-exaggerated his claim to such a degree (it was, based upon his actions as uploaded on Facebook, finally valued in the region of £4,000.00) and the judge made the following ruling, whilst dismissing his road traffic accident compensation claim in full; 

 

The judge had to ask himself the whether the Mr Pinkus’ had “acted dishonestly… …and that he has thus substantially affected the presentation of his case… … in a way which potentially adversely affected the defendant in a significant way”. 

 

He obviously had. And it would appear that Mr Pinkus’ road traffic accident solicitors had allowed him to pull the wool over their eyes. 

The moral? Always take proper legal advice and under no circumstances exaggerate your injuries. At MG Legal, solicitors in Preston Lancashire, with a team of road accident solicitors in Garstang and accident injury solicitors in Longridge we always make sure our clients have the best legal advice possible, and are happy with the compensation they are awarded for their injuries- and all as a result of the hard work and dedication of the team of personal injury solicitors at MG Legal. 

 

If you have suffered medical negligence at the hands of a doctor, dentist or surgeon, been injured at work, or involved in a road traffic accident (this can be as a pedestrian, or on a bicycle or motorbike, too) then MG Legal, your nearest solicitors in Lancaster, are here to help, 7 days a week. You can email enquiries@mglegal.co.uk or call our solicitors in Lancaster on 01524 581306, our team of expert injury solicitors in Garstang Preston, on 01995 602129, or our solicitors in Chorley, Lancashire, or Longridge on 01772 783314.