Case study
I was instructed as an expert witness on behalf of a luxury car manufacturer (the defendant) responding to a claim by a software developer (the claimant) in the High Court. The claimant alleged that the defendant had unlawfully terminated a contract under which the claimant had agreed to develop a new vehicle option visualisation tool for customers visiting the defendant’s dealer showrooms. The defendant counterclaimed that the claimant had underperformed on the contract and termination was therefore lawful, and also that the claimant misrepresented its experience. Instructed to calculate the defendant’s counterclaimed loss and respond to the opposing expert’s calculation of the claimant’s alleged loss. I was cross examined in the High Court in November.
Chris Osborne Partner Forensic Services London City +44 (0)7983 593 259 chris.osborne@frpadvisory.com
2022: My year in review
This year has been another filled with uncertainty; from coming out of COVID lockdowns, war in Europe, a very unsettled UK political landscape and now the prospect of a significant economic downturn. Despite this ongoing uncertainty, 2022 has been a busy year in our London office. We have continued to expand the team, adding expertise in forensic accounting and forensic technology, with more hires set to join us in 2023. We have been instructed on a multitude of assignments, across investigations and disputes, often involving a high value with an international element.
2023: Predictions for the year ahead Chris predicts an uptick in investigations and disputes as a result of the recession.
Notable assignments
Expert witness on behalf of a landlord responding to a claim by a tenant, who operates a luxury gym, for an arbitration held under the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 Acted as expert witness on behalf of a claimant, an export business in South America in a loss of profit claim against a group of companies which were party to a settlement agreement
Acted in an advisory capacity on behalf of a construction company in a potential warranty insurance claim Instructed by a large national charity to investigate suspicions that a former member of their central finance team may have misappropriated and/or diverted charitable funds
“All the indications are that the UK economy is due for a major downturn. Accordingly, I would
until clients have more certainty as to the future economic outlook and their own position. However, we will continue to see investigatory work needing to be undertaken quickly due to regulatory issues, or a need to resolve issues as expediently as possible in order to take recovery actions etc.”
anticipate a corresponding increase in investigations and disputes deriving from the predicted economic downturn. The level of work will be deadline driven and issues that can be delayed will be
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