19 March 2013
Law Society accuses ABI of spreading propaganda
The Law Society has told the Government that its plans to tackle fraud in personal injury road accident claims will not succeed if it keeps listening to propaganda fed from the insurance industry.
Accusing the insurance industry of lobbying the Government into adopting policies that are detrimental to accident victims, the Society said that many thousands of genuine accident victims would be left without the benefit of expert legal advice to assist them in their claims, following proposals to raise the small claims limit for PI cases.
"Different costs limits for some types of personal injury claim and other steps to place obstacles in the way of claimants will increase shareholder profits for insurers, while victims who have been injured in an accident are faced with little or no hope for justice. Anyone who doubts this should read the E-Sure flotation prospectus,” said Desmond Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society.
“These proposals risk penalising genuine accident victims. Restrictions on recoverable costs are simply intended to make it harder to claim and obtain justice.”
He added that raising the small claims limit for personal injury cases would create an uneven playing field.
“Ordinary victims who represent themselves will be confronted by insurers who specialise in contesting such claims. That does not assist access to justice. Instead, it tips the odds in favour of the powerful and yet again unfairly promotes the interests of the insurance lobby whose promises to the Prime Minister to reduce motor premiums are likely to be unfulfilled,” he said.
