Cabbie takes judge to court in row over £1,370 of fares
July 01, 2011
ORDERED TO PAY: Judge Corin Timson (above) has been told to pay taxi driver Gary Phillips the full amount
A judge involved in a row with a cabbie over a fares bill of £1,370 has been ordered by a court to pay him the full amount.
Corin Timson became locked in a legal argument with Gary Phillips over several months of fares. Mr Phillips told a claims court he ferried Mr Timson to work across the north west on a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that he would be paid monthly.
Both men were happy with the arrangement until April last year, when a dispute broke out over Mr Timson’s outstanding debts. The judge said he would pay £900 but the cabbie launched a civil claim against him for £1,300.
District Judge Khan, at Manchester county court, ordered Mr Timson - an immigration judge as well as a barrister at Kenworthy's chambers in Manchester – to pay the Hackney carriage driver a total of £1,705.
The sum included £1,370 unpaid fees, plus legal costs, expenses and interest. Mr Timson – who said he was ill at the time – did not attend the hearing. He later applied to have the ruling set aside, but withdrew his appeal this week. Mr Timson now says he will pay the full amount.
Mr Phillips,told the M.E.N had he started driving Mr Timson to court hearings and meetings in 2009. At the time, the lawyer lived in Liverpool, although he has since moved to Manchester. Mr Phillips, 51, of Childwall, Liverpool, said: "I used to drive him all over the place."
Mr Timson told the M.E.N: "From the outset, I agreed both that I would pay him the sum I believed was owed, and asked if he would discuss the matter. He wouldn't. He refused the opportunity both from myself and specifically the offer from the court service to use their mediation service."
"The matter could have been settled many months ago."
"Considering that I wanted to question him as to how he had calculated his figures, not being present when the judgement was entered, I didn't have the opportunity to do so."
Source; http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... 0-of-fares
