From the United Kingdom: “A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds in damages [last month]. Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal newlywed into a ‘disinhibited’ character who had two affairs.” (Reuters, Dec. 19; Rajeev Syal, “Man whose head injury inflamed his sex drive wins £3.2m payout”, Times Online, Dec. 20; Kathryn Lister, “£3m compo for sex mad hubby”, The Sun, Dec. 20).
By reader acclaim: “Injured man wins damages for sex overdrive”
From the United Kingdom: “A devout Christian who said an accident at work boosted his libido and wrecked his marriage as he turned to prostitutes and pornography was awarded more than 3 million pounds in damages [last month]. Stephen Tame, 29, from Suffolk, suffered severe head injuries in a fall, transforming him from a loyal […]
7 Comments
Well, it’s not unusual for brain damage to alter a person’s personality. This case just comes across as comical because it involves sex instead of drugs or crime.
I have no way of knowing whether the amount of damages is defensible, although it appears that most of it was determined by reference to the cost of continuing care. Great Britain has a workers’ compensation system, so it’s hard to tell why this was in court. It looks like the company was trying to argue that the costs of continuing care should have been absorbed by the man’s wife in the form of amateur home care, rather than the company having to pay for a nurse, in which case this ruling does not strike me as controversial.
Stuck in a rut? Worried about job security or retirement? Here’s our simple three-step program:
1) Fall down at work, hit head.
2) Go out and do all those things you were too chicken or moral to do.
3) Sue and get rich.
This article may be humorous, but there’s nothing absurd or indefensible on the face of it. An argument as to why this decision was an example of the high cost of our (or the UK’s) legal system would be useful. Not saying there isn’t such an argument to be made, but posting an article and assuming that readers agree with the implied conclusion always rubs me the wrong way.
I’ll bet this solicitor is gonna be one busy Bloke!
Drew, you might notice that every now and again, some things just happen.
I’m also sure you can delve into the deeper discussions with those over the pond and let us all know the in depth when you find it.
Have to agree with Tom and Drew, to some extent. Brain damage can have some really weird consequences. Tourette’s Syndrome, in which the patient has an uncontrollable urge to spout obscenities, is well-documented and real enough.
Yeah, it’s funny. One is inclined to suspect that this particular symptom of brain damage it a mite convenient. Perhaps the evidence that such brain damage occurred is a bit weak. But if so, it might have been nice to tell us why.
To put the insanity in perspective I am sure that next of kin compensation for UK soldiers that have been killed in Iraq is 5% of that. I think all compensation awards should be in line with what the military is willing to give as compensation for loyal citizens willing to serve (and die or be injured) for their country.
Not to nitpick, but although Tourette’s Syndrome can have the coprolalia feature this occurs in only a very small minority of those afflicted.
Also, it is not technically brain damage, nor do you get it from hitting your head.