Perhaps we need a new statute of limitations

[sunny-dave]

All the 'me too' cases crawling out of the 'BBC abuse' woodwork are making me very uneasy - especially when the utterly vile "Specialist Ambulance Chaser" lawyers are touting for this business in such a repellent way.

Perhaps we need to ensure that no-one is just "in it for the compo" by having a fairly tight time limit after any event in which a civil claim can be made for loss/injury/distress - perhaps a couple of years at the absolute outside?

This would ensure that relevant witnesses are still alive, that evidence is still collectable and that memories are not being 'enhanced' by the passage of many years.

Please note - I still think criminal charges should be able to be brought many years later - and in some ways the evidence for those charges would be more credible if it was clear that no-one could possibly be trying to win the compensation jackpot ...

[Barmaid]

There is a fairly tight time limit. Currently 3 years from when the injury occurred or 3 years from the knowledge of the injury occurred. Such limitation does not begin to run whilst someone is under a disability (ie under 18 or lacks capacity).

I've already said on another thread that there are enormous limitation issues here.

[sandyRoe]

Weren't there cases recently where claims for asbestosis were thought to be running out of time?

[DTCwordfan]

there could be criminal compensation as well, dave, but I agree on the civil limitations - even in the USA it can vary by State.

[jno]

time limits can be problematic - sandy rightly points to asbestosis cases. What happens when you only find out 20 years later that asbestos may have caused cancer?

[emmie]

does this apply then to the recent cases of Kenyan citizens
taking their case of ill treatment, torture, abuse, at the time of the Mau Mau uprisings. Because that was a long time ago, and though there doesn't seem to be any dispute that some were indeed harmed, had there been a limitation then they couldn't bring their case.

[youngmafbog]

Just how are you going to know who is telling the truth?

It would not be difficult for some unscrupulous (not doubt backed by a pond life lawyer) to lie and get compo.

I always suspected much of this case is to get compo and here it comes, tax payer funded of course.