Sir, - I was much moved, as so often, by the eloquence of Kevin Myers (An Irishman's Diary, November 20th) as he denounced the depredations of the current culture of compensation claims. In that connection, I have one small suggestion to make, borrowed from the practice of the ancient Athenian lawcourts. Athenian law is, from our perspective, in many respects eccentric, but in one at least one of its provisions it may have something to teach us. In an Athenian law-case, if a prosecutor received fewer than one-fifth of the votes of the jury, he was adjudged to have brought a frivolous or vexatious prosecution, and was not only heavily fined, but debarred from bringing a case of the same sort again.
Translated into the terms of our legal system, this would provide that, if a judge and/or jury declared that a given claim for compensation was frivolous, not only the claimant, but the solicitor advising him/her, would not only be charged all costs, but would be debarred from bringing a case in the same area (e.g. deafness, whiplash, mental anguish) ever again. This, I suggest, would put a stop to certain persons' gallops, and free society of much trouble and expense. - Yours, etc.,
John Dillon,
Thormanby Road,
Baily,
Co Dublin.