Chris Richards successful in High Court application

November 27, 2025

Chris Richards has successfully represented a Claimant in an application to strike out an Amended Defence in a high-value personal injury claim.

The Defendant had produced an Amended Defence which alleged dishonesty on the part of the Claimant. However, the Amended Defence was extremely lengthy (50 pages), and around half of the Amended Defence was taken up with the copying and pasting of medical reports, pleadings, and witness evidence. There was no summary at the beginning, contrary to PD 16, paragraph 1.3.

Chris carefully reviewed the case law, and noted several authorities which supported the idea that the Amended Defence had been pleaded in a sufficiently defective manner that it should be struck out (e.g. Tchenguiz and others v Grant Thornton UK LLP and others [2015] EWHC 405 (Comm)).

Chris pursued an application to strike out the Amended Defence before a Master in the High Court, and was successful. The Defendant was ordered to bear the Claimant’s costs of the application.

Chris was instructed by Debra Morris from Affinity Law in Derby.