A local businessman was vindicated of misconduct following one of the largest claims made against a company director that I have seen in recent years.
A High Court judge sitting in Manchester threw out the £4.7m claim against Andrew Brown - brought by his former employer Arley Homes Ltd. The judgment means Mr Brown can now continue a claim of unfair dismissal, a process which was placed in abeyance while he fought off the legal action.
This case was a real David and Goliath situation – Andrew Brown was being sued by a company with over £20m in assets, having already lost a substantial amount of his own investment in Arley Homes when he was forced to leave the business.
My litigation team at DLA Piper decided to take on the case for Andrew as we felt that he was the victim of a crude attempt to frustrate his legitimate claim for compensation following his dismissal.
We are naturally delighted for Andrew and his family. To find yourself on the end of a claim of this nature is the stuff of nightmares. It serves to remind company directors how vulnerable they are and the real risk posed by these type of claims.