AVOID DAMAGE
The 17th edition of the Judicial College’s guidelines on the assessment of general damages in personal injury cases is about to hit those bookstalls that litigators frequent. But avoid a negligence claim by NOW revisiting the guidelines of two years ago. This latest edition uplifts figures by reference, as usual, to the retail prices index (RPI) and the index figure of 376.6 for August 2023. Claimant negotiators should avoid a negligence claim by increasing guidelines further for inflation between August 2023 and assessment, as defendant negotiators may curse. Last time a new sub-category of psychiatric injury to cover awards made to victims of sexual abuse was included. Adjustments have now been made to the brackets for these injuries as well as the figures within the range. It is made clear that any challenge to use of the RPI as against the consumer prices index must be made in the courts. Over to you.
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