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Man Sues To Get Life Savings Back After Getting Wrong Diagnosis

Posted by samzenpus on from the on-second-thought dept.

After 72-year-old, Andy Lees, was told he had terminal cancer he gave away his £12,000 savings and spent another £6,500 on his funeral. However, a year after his diagnosis, doctors discovered that he is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung condition that causes a narrowing of the airways. Andy is very sick but he is not dying. Mr. Lees is now suing the local health authority for the misdiagnosis because he says the mistake has left him penniless. "I couldn't believe it. I gave away my life savings because I didn't think I would need them. We just presumed that the doctor would be right. Now I am broke," he said. On the positive side he won't have to walk five miles one-way to the gravel factory, seven days a week, for 16 hours straight with no break to get his money back.

17 comments

  1. That's what they make wills for.. by phanboy_iv · · Score: 2

    So this kinda thing won't happen.

    1. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but if you give things away before you're dead the government doesn't get a big share of the cash.

    2. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by CaptainNerdCave · · Score: 1

      are you a citizen of the uk? do you understand their tax code? in the us, you pay taxes on gifts beyond a certain threshold. maybe the uk has a different threshold, they offer breakpoints, or maybe tax incentives. i don't know, i live in america.

    3. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There would've been no inheritance tax on such a small amount anyway.

    4. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by petermgreen · · Score: 2, Informative

      IIRC gifts in the UK are tax free provided they are made more than a certain period before death (I could be wrong on this though, I'm a uk citizen but i'm not an accountant, lawyer or millionair so I dunno what the situation is regarding huge sums of money). If they are made too close to death they are counted as part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes.

      Inheritance tax doesn't kick in until you get to much higher figures (arround £300,000 iirc), so unless he has signifianct other assests (like a house in a high value area) it wouldn't have been an issue for him.

      charitable donations get some tax incentives (the charity can claim back the income tax you paid on them) but the article made out that theese gifts were to friends and family anyway not to charity.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    5. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There would've been no inheritance tax on such a small amount anyway.

      It depends on the country where you are.
      For example: in certain countries it is a fixed percentage (like 20% -- yeah, a lot).

    6. Re:That's what they make wills for.. by Slashdot+Parent · · Score: 1

      Maybe some people want to see the effects of their gifts while they are still alive?

      --
      They don't grade fathers, but if your daughter's a stripper, you fucked up. --Chris Rock
  2. Oh he is still dying alright... by ZosX · · Score: 2

    We all are. Slowly. Enjoy life while you can!

    --
    zosxavius photography
    1. Re:Oh he is still dying alright... by BitterOldGUy · · Score: 1

      We all are. Slowly. Enjoy life while you can!

      Hell yeah!

      Carpet Dee Him!

  3. Maybe.... by Luthair · · Score: 1
    his friends and family should just give him his money back?

    And if he's that broke, how the hell does afford a lawyer.

    1. Re:Maybe.... by SensitiveMale · · Score: 1

      And if he's that broke, how the hell does afford a lawyer.

      Lawyer takes a slice of the proceeds and nothing if he loses.

    2. Re:Maybe.... by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      And if he's that broke, how the hell does afford a lawyer.
      Maybe some no win no fee ambulance chaser took it. Anyway you don't actually need a lawyer to sue someone......................

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  4. more than one doc out there ya know! by muphin · · Score: 0

    Ever heard of a Second Opinion? if your told your going to die, wouldn't you want it confirmed, ask another doctor...

    --
    It's not a typo if you understood the meaning!
  5. Doctors arn't always right by linebackn · · Score: 1

    I've noticed people often put absolute faith in their doctors. People need to realize it's not like on TV where at the end of the hour (after being badgered by an old curmudgeon that insists you are lying about everything) they know exactly what the culprit disease is.

    In the real world doctors are human. They have to make best guesses, make mistakes, and they don't know everything. (And unlike a computer they can't just pull you apart and swap out pieces until they pinpoint the problem)

    This reminds me of people driving off of cliffs because their car navigation system said there was supposed to be a road there.

  6. Debt scare by wagr · · Score: 1

    Maybe is isn't so worried about the cash he gave away, but the insane amount of debt he loaded up on credit cards thinking he wouldn't have to pay them off. Now some debt collector is threatening to do to him what the cancer would have. And, in a small fit of irony, he's scared for his life.

  7. Doctors fault? by Soulfarmer · · Score: 1

    He made the decision to give away the money, not the doctors. If someone told the guy "a sure winner" at the race track, and he would bet on that and lose all of it, whose fault would that be?

    Stupid people think they can blame other people for their OWN decisions.

    --
    -Is the meaning of life vanity, or is vanity the meaning of life?
  8. No worries! by Kibblet · · Score: 1

    Depending on the source of his COPD, he may not have terribly long to live no matter what. It is one of the leading causes of death, worldwide. Some, like bronchitis, can have the patient recover. Emphysema? You can hang around for a few unpleasant years. Pulmonary neoplasms? It's been swell, hope you live to see the end of your lawsuit!