A tourist who was mauled by a lion which ripped off part of his arm after getting into his safari tent in Tanzania has won damages.
Patrick Fourgeaud, 64, was attacked by the adult male animal during a trip in the Ruaha National Park in August 2015.
His wife Brigitte, 63, had woken to find the animal sniffing at her back, before it pounced on her husband.
The animal was eventually scared away, leaving Mr Fourgeaud, of Mont-Saxonnex, France, with serious injuries, having to undergo multiple operations to his arm.
Mr and Mrs Fourgeaud, who both also struggle with mental health problems as a result of their ordeal, sued UK-based Africa Travel Resource Ltd for damages and, although the firm denied responsibility, it has now agreed to settle, a court heard.
Reality TV producer Neville Hendricks, whose company was the claimant in
Mr H TV Ltd v Archerfield Partners LLP, had objected to the London firm taking a share of his total £8.6m settlement from litigation with television channel ITV2.
Hendricks said he had not given ‘informed consent’ to the costs element but this argument was rejected by Master Victoria McCloud in the senior courts costs office in late 2019.
Applying for permission to appeal that ruling in the High Court, Hendricks’ lawyer Alexander Hutton QC argued that ‘horse trading’ between Archerfield and ITV2 resulted in agreement on the £3.6m costs without the client’s consent. It was submitted that the figures were reached after Archerfield had ‘gone global’ with the amounts being discussed rather than breaking them down into specifics.
The case
Before Mr Justice Martin Spencer
Queen’s Bench Division
The facts
Tarmac operated an aggregates quarry at Bayston Hill in Shropshire. Mr Chell was employed by Roltech Engineering Ltd and from 2013 worked at the quarry as a subcontracted site fitter alongside Tarmac’s own staff. Tarmac’s detailed health and safety rules for the quarry included a prohibition against intentional or reckless misuse of equipment but did not specifically forbid practical jokes.
During 2014 tensions arose at the quarry between the Tarmac employees and the Roltech workers over fears of job losses. Mr Chell raised concerns with his supervisor and then with Tarmac’s representative during August 2014 but he continued working at the quarry.