Lawyer leading the brain injuries in rugby lawsuit being investigated – report
The lawyer spearheading the brain injury lawsuit representing hundreds of rugby players is reportedly being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority amid claims he pressured an ex-player to lie about having dementia.
The Telegraph reports that the way Richard Boardman is recruiting players to join his firm Rylands Garth’s law suit against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union is under scrutiny.
This emerged after former England and Wasps prop Will Green was unsuccessfully sued for legal and medical costs after refusing to join the group action.
Green accused Boardman of multiple breaches of its code of conduct.
“I just think they have behaved appallingly and I would go as far to say that I am not the only person involved in this,” he told the court.
He later told the Telegraph that he feels “pretty abused” and said that joining the landmark litigation “would have perpetrated a fraud”.
A statement from the players’ union quoted in the Guardian said: “The RPA is extremely saddened by the reported cases of early-onset dementia amongst former professional players. For understandable reasons, the RPA cannot comment upon the former players’ legal action against World Rugby, the RFU and WRU.
“Following the news regarding the experiences of Will Green, who we commend for bringing this issue to light, if there are current or former elite players affected or with concerns more generally regarding their brain health, we would encourage them to contact the RPA on a confidential basis.”
The SRA is reportedly considering its course of action following Green’s accusations against Boardman.
Quoted in the Guardian, it said: “Following additional information in the court case, we can confirm that we will be looking into this before deciding on next steps.”
Green had been experiencing migraines and told the court he accepted the offer of a scan from Rylands Garth on the understanding it was a “no win, no fee” basis, the Guardian writes.
On a video call, Green wa told by Dr Steven Allder that he had early onset dementia but no supporting documents were provided, it was claimed.
The ex-player sought a second opinion from a specialist in London after more than a year of “stress, anxiety and sleepless nights”, which he said found no sign of brain damage.
Green reported this information back to Rylands Garth but said the law firm continued to pressure him into signing up to the case.
“To do so would have perpetrated a fraud on the court because the claimant’s medical experts’ diagnosis was found to be wrong,” Green told the court.
