Independent MP Janet Woollard has sent a letter to every household in her electorate defending her son and claiming Kate Campbell exaggerated her medical costs and pursued legal action to vilify the Woollard family.
The member for Alfred Cove has used the letter to address the issues surrounding the civil court trial between her son Luke Woollard and Kate Campbell who was severely injured when a boat driven by Mr Woollard crashed into an unlit pylon on the Canning River.
A District Court judge has ordered Mr Woollard to pay Ms Campbell $230,000 in damages in March this year, but the 23-year old claims not have the means to pay the money.
In the letter Dr Woollard said Ms Campbell had “recovered well,” from her injuries and returned to work and study while her son had pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to the incident.
She then goes on to claim Ms Campbell had “three sets of lawyers,” denied her original sworn statement that she knew Mr Woollard was drunk, and said she was advised that Ms Campbell was not legally entitled to compensation.
Dr Woollard said her family offered Ms Campbell $100,000 which was twice rejected, but does not detail the conditions attached to that money which Ms Campbell claims are the reasons she turned it down. She also does not mention her son lost the civil trial and was ordered to pay her damages.
“We thought the trial was part of a campaign to vilify our family and force us to pay additional money,” Dr Woollard wrote.
“Last Year Kate said Luke 'needs to be taught a lesson' even if 'it has to be through a two-week trial.' Sadly the end result of that trial, which came at great personal and financial cost to all, is that Kate has been left with no compensation. She is seeking to make Luke bankrupt,” Dr Woollard wrote in the letter.
“Some people believe Keith and I should pay her large sums of money. We are reluctant to do so because it would reward a strategy of targeting the family of the wrongdoer, and, importantly, place other families at risk of a similar campaign.”
Ms Campbell said she was “absolutely astounded,” by the letter.
“It's basically a quarter of the truth,” she said.
“The family own the boat, they didn't insure it, and Luke himself…claimed he was a heavy drinker yet the family were happy for him to use the boat, she hasn't mention it once, in her letter or in any statements.”
She said the reason she has had three lawyers was because her first left the firm and she was allocated another. She said when she could not afford to go to trial John Hammond offered to represent her pro bono. She says Dr Woollard's offer of $100,000 was inadequate.
“This amount she is talking about didn't include any future medical expenses family loss of earnings, my loss of earnings, my parents business loss of earnings, emotional damages, loss of enjoyment of life,” Ms Campbell said.
“She's forgetting the fact that I began this apparent 'vilifying campaign' three years after the accident occurred, that's the fact she's leaving out.”
Mr Woollard has publicly stated he does not have the means or assets to satisfy the payout.
From the West Australian.......
From me.......
I hope the Alfred Cove electorate, make their own minds up about this. Imagine if Kate Campbell wrote such a letter from her view-point and sent it to everyone in Mrs Wollard's electorate. I am personally even more disgusted than I already was.
No wonder the Australian public has no respect for politicians, too many acting in their interest, not the public interest. Was it parlimentary privellege to send out such a letter.....?
See below for the letter my mother sent to her constituency which the article in the West Australian was referencing.
There has been a very public airing of the civil proceedings against my son Luke for a boat crash that occured four years ago. It is difficult to understand the issues based on what gets in the papers and on TV. While it was before the court it was not appropriate for me to speak publicly.
Eight young people used my husband's boat to return home from UWA Tavern late one night. They had all been drinking alcohol and none were fit to drive. None of them saw the unlit pylon near Canning Bridge and the collision left Kate Campbell with severe injuries. She recovered well and returned to work and study. In the criminal trial, Luke pleaded guilty, aknowledged that it was his fault, and accepted his criminal conviction.
Kate has had three sets of lawyers. This year in the civil trial Kate denied her original sworn statement that she knew Luke was drunk. Last year we were faced with the outrageous claim by her lawyer, that her medical expenses were already $300,000. We thought the trial was part of a campaign to vilify our family and force us to pay additional money.
We were advised that Kate was not legally entitled to compensation because she knew Luke was drunk before he got on the boat. Nonetheless we intended to help with her medical costs. It was suggested that $100,000 would be an appropriate offer but she rejected that twice. At trial, her medical expenses to that date were agreed to be $79,000. $17,000 of that had been paid for by Medicare and HBF.
Last year Kate said Luke "needs to be taught a lesson" even if "it has to be through a two-week trial". Sadly the end result of the trial, which came at great personal and financial cost to all, is that Kate has been left with no compensation. She is seeking to make Luke bankrupt. Some people believe that Keith and I should now pay her large sums of money. We are reluctant to do so because it would reward a strategy of targeting the family of the wrongdoer and, importantly, place other families at risk of a similar campaign.
I have done my best to reduce the harm caused by alcohol in the community. I hope to introduce legislation to prevent people driving boats when their blood alcohol is 0.05 or above, as applies in other States. Hopefully this will prevent other people from suffering similar accidents.
The Woollard's just keep on digging! Maybe it's time to pull yourselve's out of the hole before it caves in!!!
Select to expand quoteLukeWoollard said...
See below for the letter my mother sent to her constituency which the article in the West Australian was referencing.
There has been a very public airing of the civil proceedings against my son Luke for a boat crash that occured four years ago. It is difficult to understand the issues based on what gets in the papers and on TV. While it was before the court it was not appropriate for me to speak publicly.
Eight but only one was in charge of the vessel young people used my husband's boat to return home from UWA Tavern late one night. They had all been drinking alcohol and none were fit to drive. None of them saw the unlit blame the pylon then pylon near Canning Bridge and the collision left Kate Campbell with severe injuries. She recovered well says who? and returned to work and study. In the criminal trial, Luke pleaded guilty, aknowledged that it was his fault, and accepted his criminal conviction. and found a way to dodge the penalty.
Kate has had three sets of lawyers if she wish it is her right???. This year in the civil trial Kate denied her original sworn statement that she knew Luke was drunk. Last year we were faced with the outrageous claim by her lawyer, that her medical expenses were already $300,000. We thought the trial was part of a campaign to vilify our family no need for that as you will always been seen as the turd that did not face the music and force us to pay additional money. Just pay what the judiciary found to be the right compensation amount
We were advised that Kate was not legally entitled to compensation because she knew Luke was drunk before he got on the boat not by this court. Nonetheless we intended to help with her medical costs. It was suggested not by this court that $100,000 payed in 10 yearly instalments are you taking the piss??? would be an appropriate offer but she rejected that twice. At trial, her medical expenses to that date were agreed to be $79,000. $17,000 of that had been paid for by Medicare and HBF. What about lost income, pain and suffering further expenses..... you are soooooo generous!
Last year Kate said Luke "needs to be taught a lesson" even if "it has to be through a two-week trial". Sadly the end result of the trial, which came at great personal and financial cost to all, is that Kate has been left with no compensation only because you chose to dodge the penalty imposed by the court. She is seeking to make Luke bankrupt. Some people believe that Keith and I should now pay her large sums of money. We are reluctant to do so because it would reward a strategy of targeting the family of the wrongdoer and, importantly, place other families at risk of a similar campaign. You are such caring peeps and doing that to help the community!!!
I have done my best to reduce the harm caused by alcohol in the communityyou should look at home before try to chang the plebe. I hope to introduce legislation to prevent people driving boats when their blood alcohol is 0.05 or above, as applies in other States. Hopefully this will prevent other people from suffering similar accidents. How about compulsory 3rd party insurance for boat owners?quote]
www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/woollard-defends-son-family-in-electorate-letter-ng-6ad76cd1ab746e4a89a67b463d5e46f3
so she paid for the letter out of her own pocket and didn't use any official letterheads ?
The letter head looks pretty official to me .
Janet wollard was on the abc today...
Everything she said just smacked of contempt..
No way I would ever vote for her
And I question the legality of her being able to use the personal details of registered voters in her electorate to junk mail and intrude upon people with get own dirty agenda...
Even if she hasn't broken any rules, it comes across as way desperate and totally politically motivated
Kids over eighteen, he fks up his problem, any body on this this forum want their parents to fix their adult fk ups ??????
Yeah rite
It seems that lukes mum did support him to the tune of 100g's, before the judgement against luke !
Plus the personal cost of sending those 14000 letters... with stamps cost 65c plus printing and stationary etc lets guess at $1 per letter? Theres nearly 16% of the total payout due...
If it wasn't also about the politics and the publicity, then she would have used a different lawyer than Hammond (who incidentally I heard on the radio had a complaint made against him to the Legal Practice Board on this matter).
Western Australia's ruling Liberal Party is eyeing independent MP Janet Woollard's seat amid controversy over her treatment of a young woman who was almost killed in a boat crash by the MP's drunken son.
The conservative MP has been threatened with legal action over a mail-out to 14,000 households in her electorate last week attacking Kate Campbell, 24, who successfully sued Dr Woollard's son Luke for $230,000 to recover medical bills.
Ms Campbell was critically injured when Mr Woollard, 23, crashed his father's uninsured boat on Perth's Canning River in the early hours of November 7, 2007, after a heavy drinking session.
Mr Woollard received a suspended sentence in earlier criminal proceedings after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, but he has refused to pay the civil settlement, claiming he has no money.
Dr Woollard and her cardiologist husband Keith Woollard have refused to pay the claim on behalf of their son, despite bankrolling his failed legal defence with a prominent barrister and two solicitors.
After criticism by the state's Labor opposition, Dr Woollard sent letters to every house in her Alfred Cove electorate - covering almost 21,000 voters - claiming her son's civil trial "was part of a campaign to vilify our family and force us to pay additional money".
The letter, which listed her electoral office number on an unofficial "Alfred Cove MP" letterhead, has been referred to the WA Electoral Commission, while lawyers for Ms Campbell have threatened to sue Dr Woollard for defamation.
On Wednesday, WA Liberal Premier Colin Barnett told ABC Radio his party had "a very good chance of winning" Dr Woollard's seat.
"We will certainly contest Alfred Cove," Mr Barnett said.
"The Liberal Party nearly won the seat off her at the last election, so we'll keep trying."
Mr Barnett said Dr Woollard had been supportive of his Liberal-National government, but she had shown poor judgment in using her electorate mailing list to try to appeal to voters over her son's case.
"I think Janet was probably unwise to delve into that situation in that way," Mr Barnett said.
"It's essentially a situation for her son, who - because of Janet's position - is now drawn into a very high-profile public case.
"Janet's been under huge pressure as a member of parliament - I think probably not the best decision to send out correspondence like that to her constituents."
Dr Woollard has been the member for Alfred Cove since 2001, but only won the last election in 2008 on preferences after getting just 25 per cent of the primary vote.
The next state election is on March 9, 2013.http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8479588/wa-libs-eye-embattled-woollard-seat
From one of the news websites.
"Boat crash victim Kate Campbell was crying tears of joy last night after learning that lawyers acting for politician Janet Woollard and her family had offered $250,000 to settle the damaging affair.
After almost five years of wrangling, the offer came late yesterday and took Ms Campbell and her lawyer John Hammond by surprise.
Both parties agreed to the settlement, which ends all legal action and comes with no conditions.
"I'm lost for words," Ms Campbell said. "I'm in a sense of disbelief and happiness."
The $250,000 is $20,000 more than the payment ordered by the District Court in March, after Ms Campbell sued Dr Woollard's son Luke - the driver of the boat that crashed in 2007 leaving the then 19-year-old with horrific injuries.
The saga took a controversial twist when Mr Woollard, who was drunk at the time of the Canning River crash, said he was unable to pay the money and was being forced into bankruptcy.
Last week, Dr Woollard - the independent MP for Alfred Cove - circulated a letter to her constituents saying she and her cardiologist husband Keith would not pay the money on behalf of their son.
They said they did not want to "reward" Ms Campbell's "strategy" of pursuing their 24-year-old son through the courts and in public. It prompted a scathing backlash from the public.
"It's such a weight off the rest of my life," Ms Campbell said. "All I've ever wanted to do is put this behind me. I can't express how grateful I am to all the people who have stood by me, to anyone who ever wrote a letter, I am so thankful."
Premier Colin Barnett yesterday joined the chorus of criticism against Dr Woollard over her letter, saying it was "unwise".
Mr Hammond said Ms Campbell had paid a "huge emotional and physical toll" recovering from the crash and in fighting for justice.
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An admission of guilt if ever there was one. They obviously did not want to go to court and have their emense fortune disclosed to the public.
well its not precise.
That would require correct spelling
immense would be suitable in this case!
