Blake Lapthorn Secures £3.45m Settlement In Clinical Negligence Case Against MoD

(I-Newswire) March 15, 2010 - The case arises from Mrs East's condition of severe brain damage resulting from failures in care at the Royal Hospital Haslar, near Portsmouth, formerly run by the MoD, when she was undergoing treatment there for gallstones in 2001.

Mrs East, who is now aged 44 years, will receive an award with a capitalised value of £3.45 million, which will be paid to her both in a lump sum and annual payments to meet the costs of caring for her. She has widespread defects of memory and concentration and is dependent upon a wheelchair for mobility. She has been totally reliant upon her husband, Mr Shawn East, to look after her and provide the day-to-day care and support she needs.

Mr East said: "We have had a very hard fight getting compensation for Grannia but we have a magnificent legal team who fought brilliantly for us all the way. In 2007, the case went to the High Court and we won but then the MoD appealed and in July 2008 we won in the Court of Appeal. I am very pleased that the case has now settled before we had to go through another trial. It means that we can now get on and adapt a property for Grannia that is a suitable place to care for her."

John White, the family's solicitor said: "This is a landmark case and important points of clinical negligence law were decided in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Grannia has suffered terrible injuries with tragic effects on her life. After the battles establishing liability I am delighted that we have achieved an excellent award, which will meet Grannia's complex care, accommodation and therapeutic needs."

About Blake Lapthorn:
At Blake Lapthorn, we believe in listening to the goals and concerns of our clients and then using this understanding to get the results they need in the most cost-effective way. With over 100 partners and a total staff of over 650, we provide a full range of integrated services for organisations in today’s fast-moving business environment. We also have a large team focused on services for private individuals.

We are the leading firm in the South East of England and have a network of offices in London and across the region - in Southampton, Oxford and Portsmouth - helping to ensure that we are accessible to local, national and international clients, offering the right level of service.

Our strongly commercial and friendly approach is well known by our clients, who range from multi-national companies, owner-managed businesses, SMEs, government agencies and business and property owners. Industry sector groups provide targeted advice built on an understanding of the issues faced by particular industries.

Company Contact Information
Blake Lapthorn
Daniel Baber
Watchmaker Court, 33 St John's Lane
London
EC1M 4DB
Phone : 020 7814 5489