Where Is The Interpreter compensation case adjourned to December amid paperwork dispute

A court case to determine whether 276 Deaf people should be compensated by the UK Government for nine inaccessible Covid briefings has been delayed until December.

Deaf campaigners attended the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday, International Day of Sign Languages, to find out if the money would be awarded or if the Government’s application to strike out the claim would be accepted.

However, the proceedings instead turned to when the claims were first issued to the Government, and served to the court, with the Cabinet Office representatives arguing paperwork was not filed within the relevant time limits.

Under legal rules, solicitor Chris Fry had six months after the briefings from March 2020 to lodge a claim with the court. He has claimed this was done in September 2020, and that the case was issued in April 2021.

Both the Cabinet Office and Mr Fry agree the case was served in August 2021, but while Mr Fry believes this date was within four months after it was issued in April 2021, the Government believes September 2020 was when the case was issued – exceeding the limit to serve a claim.

Friday’s proceedings were adjourned twice as barristers argued over the dates, before a series of “consequential decisions” were confirmed close to 2:30pm.

Mr Fry will now be required to provide any information about the issuing of a claim and all records of communications with the court by 14 October.

Three weeks after this, the Government will then be expected to either apply for the court to strike out the claims, request the judge rule on them, or dismiss the case.

Mr Fry will then have until 18 November to respond to this with evidence to the contrary – the same deadline for when the Government to reply to these arguments.

A decision on the claims was adjourned, with the case now being heard again on 7 December at the Royal Courts of Justice at 10am.

Commenting outside court today, Where Is The Interpreter founder and lead claimant Lynn Stewart-Taylor thanked the “huge amount” of Deaf people who turned up to support the campaign.

“That’s one positive I’m going to take away from this day. I’m going to keep that optimism and that hope you have.

“We’re going to be back in December and we’re not giving up.”

Mr Fry added the outcome was “extremely frustrating”, but stressed “it could have been a lot worse” and that he was “still optimistic”.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.