Personal Injury

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

The Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr Justice Frank Clarke, has criticised the Government over the leaking of private correspondence about personal injury payouts. A letter from Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to Ireland's most senior judge was apparently leaked to the media before Mr Justice Clarke ha

A company which operates a nightclub in Dublin has successfully argued that it is entitled to set-off €52,000 owed to a security firm, in circumstances where the firm gave an indemnity for personal injury claims arising from acts, negligence, or failures in its provision of security services. I

An expert group chaired by Mr Justice Charles Meenan has said it will explore the possible establishment of a Medical Injuries Assessment Board along the lines of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. The idea is raised in the interim report of the group set up to review the law of torts from the

Irish lawyers have warned against blaming damages awards for high insurance premiums as newly-revised personal injury guidelines have hiked payouts in Northern Ireland by up to 20 per cent. Barrister Tim O'Connor told Irish Legal News that the increases in the latest edition of the Green Book, effec

A man who brought a claim for personal injuries against a taxi driver who drove over his foot has had his claim dismissed in the High Court. Concluding that it was clear from CCTV evidence that the man was the aggressor in a fight which resulted in him falling beside the back wheel of the taxi, and