More on Claimant Costs Award Case…

The costs award EAT case of Vaughan v London Borough of Lewisham, reported in a recent edition of the Update, where the Claimant was required to pay around £87,000 in costs, commented on in the June edition of the Update, has now been formally reported in the Law Reports. Interestingly, the appeal by the Claimant against the order for costs was dismissed, notwithstanding that she was unrepresented; the Respondent failed to seek a deposit order or issue a cost warning; or that they had made a substantial offer of settlement. An interesting comment from Mr Justice Underhill, “it is, alas, notorious that the costs of defending a long claim against a persistent Claimant can be such that, from a purely commercial point of view, it makes more sense to make a substantial sum by way of settlement that to pay the lawyers”. Too true…