Has a greedy or incompetent solicitor ever been persuaded to take out a court claim when you had no case?
Did the solicitor do this in the full knowledge that if the claim went to a hearing, their legal costs would dwarf the amount awarded, leaving you hundreds of pounds out of pocket even if you won?
Did the solicitor file a claim which did not comply with practice directions and was therefore likely to be thrown out?
Come the hearing did the solicitor prepare a witness statement and evidence pack full of errors, inconsistencies, missing information, misrepresentations of the facts and half-truths?
Did the judge throw out the claim, leaving you hundreds of pounds to the bad?
If any of these have happened, then you've been Gladstoned!
Link Parking were Gladstoned twice yesterday in Cardiff court for cases C1GF37H9 and B8GF3J9J. An independent observer reported that Martin Gardner, owner of Link parking turned out to argue his own case. Neither of the defendants turned up, for reasons unknown.
Mr Gardner made a poor job according to the observer. The judge pulled up Mr Gardner on various pieces of missing information in his bundle. Mr Gardner asked to phone to get the information but this was declined. The cases were done and dusted in a few minutes.
Come on down Mr Gardner - you've been Gladstoned!
Prankster Note
The Prankster does not recommend missing a court hearing. If you have not given 7 days warning to all parties and the court, the judge would be within their right to award the claim to the other party. The Prankster has heard of several cases where the judge also awarded extra costs not normally claimable, leaving the missing party £200-£300 worse off.
However, the judge is also within their rights to hear the case on the papers. and The Prankster has heard of several cases where this has happened, when either claimant or defendant failed to show.
Gladstones Solicitors are no doubt acquiring something of a reputation for incompetence in the courts and so the judge was well within their rights to pull their evidence to pieces.
Happy Parking
The Parking Prankster
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Of course you should never miss one of the court hearings - you'd be missing the treat of watching the PPC and / or their brief, squirm AND have the chance to get it all paid for!
ReplyDeleteSomeone with a bit of spare time should start a cartoon strip of this lot.
ReplyDeleteWould beat the Dandy and Beano any time.
It comes to something when the defence don't turn up to argue their case, and the PPC's own submission derails their own claim. Self inflicted wounds.
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ReplyDeletebwi parking