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Four men who have received tens of thousands of euros in severance payments over the past 20 years have been accused of orchestrating a “grand scheme” to falsely pocket severance from an insurance company.
Dismissing each of their claims for up to € 60,000 for personal injury in Tullamore Circuit Court today, Judge Karen Fergus said the four men had “grossly exaggerated” their claims and knowingly misled the court about a motor vehicle collision in Granard, Co Longford, in 2015.
Judge Fergus said she would have expected the men to know what is required of them when speaking with lawyers and doctors, given the number of compensation claims they have previously been involved in.
They confirmed during cross-examination that none of their previous claims for compensation had reached a court.
The judge said the four men, who were passengers in the single-car collision, appeared to be “the most unfortunate” given the number of accidents and incidents that had happened to them in recent years.
The court heard evidence that the four men had received tens of thousands of euros from each other in out-of-court settlements for previous traffic accidents and matters such as the purchase of a can of beans in poor condition.
Brothers Brendan Leddy and James Leddy, from Granard, Co Longford, as well as cousins Edward Stokes and Michael Stokes Jnr, from Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, had been passengers in a Ford Focus car driven by Brendan Leddy’s wife, Emma O ‘ Keeffe, when he hit a stone wall or ditch on a quiet country road in Granard, Co Longford, on Sunday January 25, 2015.
Garda Justin Browne attended the scene and noted that all four passengers were out of the car when he arrived and none reported injuries. It noted that the car appeared to have hit part of a ditch and that the damage to the car was “minimal.”
The four men filed personal injury claims of up to € 60,000 each against Ms. O’Keeffe’s insurance company, which was fully defended.
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They claimed that they had gone to cut firewood on the Sunday in question and gave different versions of how the accident happened. At one point, Edward Stokes claimed that the car had flipped over.
At the end of the case, defense attorney Keith O’Grady BL requested that all of his claims be dismissed as false and misleading under the 2004 Civil Liability Act.
Judge Fergus said she did not believe the accident happened in the manner alleged, or that the men suffered the level of injuries they claimed.
“Despite their description of the impact when the car hit a wall, none of them had scratches, cuts, bruises or broken bones.”
Judge Fergus said she had a duty to examine all the evidence presented in court and make sure no injustice was done to a worthy claim.
Having done this in this case, she said she was “completely satisfied” that it was a “grand plan” put together by the four men with the goal of “pocketing compensation” from an insurance company.
“All of their complaints were typical of alleged injuries in these types of cases that are almost impossible for doctors to dismiss.”
Judge Fergus added that the men had “attempted to circumvent” the system by instructing different attorneys in different parts of the country.
While anyone had the right to instruct any lawyer they wanted, Judge Fergus said she did not accept that there was no connection between the selection of different lawyers and the lack of information to the doctors involved.
She dismissed their claims, awarded them court costs and refused to suspend the award of costs.
The court heard evidence that Brendan Leddy was involved in a car accident in 2007 where he injured his neck and back, and that it was settled out of court for 15,000 euros. The defendant in that case, as in this case, was his wife, Emma O’Keeffe.
In 2009, he had another traffic accident in which he injured his back and neck, and which was settled for € 10,000.
He was evaluated by the Personal Injury Assessment Board (PIAB) for another incident in October 2014, three months before the present incident, when he was the passenger of a car his mother was driving and which was paid for € 15,500.
Leddy denied making parallel claims or trying to mislead doctors or the court.
James Leddy told the court that he was involved in another traffic accident in April 2015, for which he thought he had received about 9,000 euros.
Edward Stokes was involved in a car accident in May 2010, in which he sustained soft tissue injuries in his back and believes he received € 9,000 for it.
In September 2010, he was stabbed at a wedding and received € 5,500 compensation.
In February 2010, he sued a supermarket through his Longford lawyer for food poisoning for what was described as a bad can of beans and obtained 2,000 euros.
In August 2012, he sued another supermarket for another bad can of beans and again got € 2,000.
In May 2013, he was held at a gambling house at gunpoint and received a compensation of € 5,000.
In October 2016, a lady drove him in Dublin and the insurance company settled for 28,500 euros.
The court heard that Stokes was shot in the ankle in 2018.
In June 2020, Stokes was involved in a hit-and-run car accident, but did not take any claims and says he was not injured.
Michael Stokes Jnr was involved in a traffic accident in 2005 in which he injured his shoulder, neck and back and received compensation of € 40,000.
After questioning, it emerged that he had also suffered an accident in 2001 for which he received 10,000 euros.
In 2011 he injured his left knee in a traffic accident and received € 17,600.
He was detained at gunpoint at a betting house in 2013, treated for anxiety and received € 5,000.
In 2016, he hit a pothole and sued the county council, but the case is still ongoing.
Another traffic accident from August 2017 is ongoing.
Edward Stokes is currently charged with ordering a German Shepherd-type dog, which he controlled, to attack Sergeant Tom Quinn at his home on December 3, 2018.
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