Dr Andrew Wakefield arrives with wife at a Standard Health care Council hearing. He was later on struck off more than his research into the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty
A guy is suing his former legal team for pursuing “hopeless claims” based mostly on flawed research into the MMR vaccine, it has emerged.
Matthew McCafferty, who developed autism three years soon after getting the vaccine, is taking legal action above a legal claim that he says had no likelihood of succeeding, according to a report in the Instances (paywall).
He is suing the lawyers Hodge Jones & Allen for their “unjust enrichment as officers of the court by litigating a hopeless claim funded by legal aid by which you profited”.
A lot more than 1,000 families have been involved in a class action that was dropped in 2003 following research by Andrew Wakefield on the website link between autism and the MMR vaccine was discredited. He was later struck off as a medical professional for offences relating to dishonesty and failing to act in the very best interests of vulnerable little one individuals.
The lengthy group action value an estimated £15m in legal aid. Michael Shaw, McCafferty’s solicitor, explained his declare was the very first, but his firm had been in make contact with with several former MMR vaccine litigants who it believed had been entitled to compensation from former lawyers.
“The unique MMR vaccine litigation was supposed to be worth billions in compensation, not mere hundreds of thousands, but it value millions in legal aid,” Shaw advised the Occasions. “There was also a massive private price for the households involved — all the raised hopes and expectations, driven by the irresponsible media frenzy based mostly on an unsubstantiated health scare and junk science. Not a single penny in compensation was obtained for any child. The households are now just beginning to recover and get stock, they are scrutinising the actions of their former lawyers and health-related advisers.”
Shaw’s solicitor argues that Hodge Jones & Allen negligently handled McCafferty’s declare and missed the time limit for filing a declare, which they say was 10 years from the date of supply of the vaccine from the companies.
McCafferty, 23, from Falkirk, central Scotland, is searching for damages to “incorporate compensation, distress, cost and inconvenience of engaging in hopeless litigation”.
Hodge Jones & Allen denies negligence either in the timing of the issuing of proceedings or in proceeding on the obtainable proof. Its solicitors, RPC, said: “Public funding was granted to your client and there was a belief at the time that there was a causal hyperlink in between MMR vaccinations and the onset of autism. While this ‘link’ has been extensively discredited, there was absolutely no reason at all for our consumer to have deemed at the time that the declare was fully with no merit and/or was hopeless.”
MMR vaccine: Lawyers currently being sued for pursuing declare primarily based on hyperlink to autism
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