John Brown

John has experience across the range of personal injury actions including road traffic accidents, employer’s liability, occupier’s liability, product liability, Highway’s Act, Animals Act, fatal and sporting accidents. He has experience of dealing with complex injuries including spinal, chronic pain/fibromyalgia, brain and psychiatric injuries.

John also has experience of industrial disease work, principally Nosie Induced Hearing Loss, and he has detailed knowledge of the issues that commonly arise in such litigation including limitation, causation involving competing medical evidence and consideration of detailed engineering evidence on the issue of breach.

Examples of his current or recent work include:

• Instructed on behalf of a Claimant who sustained multiple and life-threatening injuries and whose partner passed away following injuries sustained in a serious road traffic accident. Claim (including Fatal Accidents Act claim) pleaded in the region of £800,000.
• Instructed on behalf of the Defendant for CCMC in a case involving a brain injury with an estimated value in the region of £3 million.
• Case involving a young girl who sustained an acquired brain injury following a skull fracture in a road traffic accident. Her injuries included difficulties with cognitive and motor function as well as marked personality changes.
• Case involving a serious spinal injury caused by an accident at work which required fusion surgery following which the Claimant developed a chronic pain condition.

John has experience of dealing with clinical negligence claims, often involving complex issues of liability, causation and quantum.

Examples of his current or recent work include:

• Delayed treatment for complex fracture to the elbow requiring radial head replacement leading to the development of ulnar neuritis and increased risk of arthroplasty.
• Delayed diagnosis of a child’s allergy to chemical components in his prothesis leading to the development or dermatological symptoms and significant restriction in prosthesis use.
• Failure by an optometrist to urgently refer to hospital in circumstances where there was an unexplained significant reduction in vision over a 6 month period resulting in reduced prognosis following corrective surgery.
• Dental negligence claims including failure to diagnose, monitor and treat periodontal disease and negligent provision of implants.

Within the context of personal injury claims John has developed particular expertise in cases where fraud or conscious exaggeration is alleged and where causation remains firmly in dispute. His experience includes cases involving the use of surveillance evidence. He has secured a number of findings of fundamental dishonesty for insurer clients following both trial and stand-alone applications.

John has significant experience in the field of professional discipline, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector. He has regularly appeared before disciplinary tribunals and in particular the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Conduct and Competence Committee in Fitness to Practice hearings. He has experience in dealing with substantial and complex cases often involving serious allegations of misconduct and lack of competence.

John also has wider experience of other regulatory proceedings, including claims management services regulation having represented the first ever company to be prosecuted for offences under the Compensation Act 2006.

John has a broad experience of general civil and commercial litigation. His work has included actions involving breach of contract, negligence (including professional), misrepresentation and undue influence. He has experience in areas such as the sale of goods, supply of goods and services and personal guarantees. His experience also extends to the related areas of both corporate and individual insolvency.

John also has experience of property matters including both residential and commercial property. He has experience of landlord and tenant actions, possession claims (including trespassers), suspension of warrants, forfeiture of leases, orders for sale, charging orders and service charge disputes.