Weightmans LLP

Roddy deals with employers' and public liability claims. He has particular experience in workplace stress claims both arising out of overwork cases and harassment. He has lectured on the subject of stress and written a number of published articles. He has dealt with over a thousand stress claims involving overwork bullying and harassment and is often instructed pre litigation and even on occasions before a claim has been made. His stress work also includes claims resulting from violent acts such as the Court of Appeal case of Mitchell and others v United Co-operatives [2012] a case involving shop workers who experienced multiple violent robberies. The successful result was said to have saved the retail industry millions of pounds.

Stress is now acknowledged by the Health & Safety Executive to be the most common reason for someone to be off work and is becoming a popular new work stream for claimant lawyers. Stress claims also produce reputational issues for employers especially ones involving allegations of sexual harassment. They tend to be of interest to senior Directors of companies and, as such, require discrete handling for which Roddy is known.

Stress claims can be brought in an Employment Tribunal or the County/High Courts. Roddy has experience of the cross overs between the jurisdictions which can be used to bring claims to a satisfactory conclusion.

He has dealt with a number of catastrophic injury claims and in particular, spinal and brain injury cases. In addition, he has a wide experience of Occupiers Liability Act claims, having dealt with the leading House of Lords case Tomlinson v Congleton [2003]which has been used in countless claims subsequently to successfully defend claims against occupiers of land. Subsequently he took the case of Poppleton v TPYAC[2008] to the Court of Appeal. That claim involved an accident at an indoor climbing centre. The successful defence was welcomed by the sporting press as was the result in the potential £6 million pounds claim of Grimes v Hawkins [2011]- a swimming pool case, where the successful defence was described as a life line of common sense.

In all his cases Roddy appreciates that it is key to find out what success looks like for his clients. Do they wish to defend to trial or is the disposal of the claim quickly and on the best terms the definition of success.