A man who claimed to have been in agony after falling down a pothole was ordered to pay £10,000 when he was found to have been “fundamentally dishonest”.
Mike Farron had sued Flintshire Council, Wales, as he claimed he had tripped and fallen whilst crossing the street in February 2021.
He said he suffered “ten out of ten” pain in his ankle as a result of the fall but did not visit a hospital or his doctor at the time.
Flintshire Council admitted fault for the pothole in the road surface but did not accept it had caused Farron to fall.
They denied the claim for compensation and asked Farron to prove the accident occurred as alleged - or at all - before considering any further action, NorthWalesLive reported.
In response, Farron launched legal proceedings against Flintshire Council and attempted to sue the authority over the alleged incident.
The council instructed solicitors to defend the claim and they presented the court with details contradicting the "evidence" put forward via his representatives.
The matter was due to be heard at trial in January 2023 but three days before the case was due in court, Farron withdrew his claim without any explanation.
The council had been put to the expense of defending a claim which they considered to be fabricated.
Officials then applied to the court on behalf of Flintshire Council for an order Farron reimburse their legal expenses.
District Judge Roberts at that hearing found that the claim was "fundamentally dishonest".
Flintshire County Council is set to recoup all of their legal costs which they had incurred in defending the personal injury claim after the presiding judge ordered Farron to pay the local authority's legal costs amounting to £10,000.
After the hearing, a Flintshire Council spokesperson said: "This result indicates to everyone that the council, its insurers and legal representatives will not tolerate any attempt to dishonestly claim public monies."
