Client G first approached Farleys in January 2023, when she was nearly 53 in relation to a potential claim against Tower Hamlets.
Background
Client G was brought up in Tower Hamlets. Following a difficult childhood, she was taken into the care of the Local Authority at age 9.
Client G was eventually placed at St Leonard’s home; a care home that has since been publicly exposed due to the appalling abuse that took place there.
Client G was a victim of regular physical abuse by the staff at St Leonards from the outset of her time there. She suffered subsequent sexual abuse by a member of staff at St Leonards, as well as incidents of sexual assault by other children at the home. Client G then suffered further sexual abuse at the hands of a foster carer.
Client G reported the abuse to the Police, however found that little action was taken until a later investigation, Operation Mapperton, was commenced.
Client G reported that she was not strong enough to talk about the sexual abuse, and that only following the release of a Netflix documentary did she feel able to address the abuse and instruct solicitors. Client G was suffering with mental health problems because of the abuse.
How Farleys Were Able to Help
Jonathan Bridge agreed to act on her behalf in damages claim, and a Letter of Claim was forwarded to the Local Authority, who appointed solicitors to defend the claim.
The immediate issue was limitation. Client G was 30 years past the limitation period. Despite having good reasons for not coming forward sooner, it was undoubtably going to be a difficult claim, particularly as one of the abusers had since died.
In addition to issues of limitation, there were evidential issues in this claim as Social Services records had been lost in a fire.
To investigate the claim further, Client G provided copies of her limited Social Services records that she had requested prior to instructing Farleys. Further medical records and mental health records were obtained. The specialist team at Farleys reviewed these records to pinpoint the areas where social services had failed Client A.
The Defendants denied liability in their Letter of Response. They relied on the fact that Client G was significantly out of time to bring a claim, and that the lack of records made it difficult to prove the abuse.
The Defendant’s made an initial offer to settle the claim, of £15,000, which was rejected.
Justin Levinson of Counsel was instructed to advise further in this claim. A conference was arranged, and Counsel’s advice was to make a counteroffer of £60,000 to the defendants.
The Defendant’s rejected this offer, relying still on limitation and evidential issues. The Defendants put forward a revised offer of £30,000, which was again rejected.
Further negotiation took place following a conference in London, and the Defendants eventually agreed to settle the claim at £45,000.
Commenting on the case, Client G said “I would like to thank Jonathan and the team for listening to me and fighting for me. Jonathan made it easy for me to speak to him, and after so many years, I finally feel heard”.
Contact an Abuse Claims Specialist
At Farleys, we have a team of specialists with extensive experience in supporting survivors of abuse to pursue claims for damages. We understand that for many survivors, pursuing and eventually succeeding in a claim allows them to gain closure on their experiences and fund any specialist care they may need going forward. To discuss your possibility of making a claim, contact our team in confidence today by calling our dedicated abuse line on 0330 134 6430, or alternatively you can contact us by email or use the online chat below if you prefer.
