Rhianna King
June 7, 2012 – 7:54AM
The long-running legal saga involving MP Janet Woollard’s family has come to an end, after they agreed to pay boat crash victim Kate Campbell $250,000.
It follows a high-profile and protracted legal battle, which came to a head earlier this year when Dr Woollard’s son Luke revealed he was unable to pay a court-ordered $230,000 compensation to Ms Campbell.
Ms Campbell suffered life-threatening injuries after a boat being driven by Luke, who was drunk at the time, crashed near the South of Perth Yacht Club in the early hours of November 7, 2007.
Dr Woollard and her husband Keith came under fire after refusing to help pay the compensation for their son, who warned he was facing bankruptcy.
But yesterday afternoon, after several hours of negotiating, lawyers for Dr Woollard offered $250,000 to Ms Campbell.
Her lawyer John Hammond said she was “very emotional” when told about the offer, which was $20,000 more than she had been seeking.
“She is extremely relieved that the long battle is now over,” Mr Hammond said.
The payment puts an end to any further legal action, including a potential defamation case against Dr Woollard over a letter she sent to more than 14,000 constituents last week.
In the letter, she accused Ms Campbell of vilifying her family and said she and her husband refused to pay the compensation as it would set a precedent for similar cases in the future and reward the “strategy of targeting the family of the wrongdoer.”
Article source: www.watoday.com.au