The Bond Solon Annual Expert Witness Survey highlights the stresses that witnesses are facing, says Mark Solon
Expert witnesses say they are being put under pressure to change their reports, according to the latest Bond Solon Annual Expert Witness Survey. In a survey of 186 expert witnesses, 55 respondents said they had been asked to, or felt pressurised to, alter a report, in a way that damaged their impartiality. Witnesses’ experiences ranged from being asked to remove sections of reports which were seen as damaging to the client’s case to being asked to re-write in their favour. Other experts said some solicitors had even refused to pay them if they felt they had written an “unhelpful” report. One said: “A leading firm of solicitors tried to pressurise me on more than one occasion as the client didn’t like my conclusions.” Another expert witness said: “Solicitors were asking for the report to be changed materially to the client’s advantage. Other solicitors were asking for quoted GP notes entries to be changed. I always refused.”
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