Cases - Cemp Properties (UK) Ltd v Dentsply Research and Development Corporation

Record details

Name
Cemp Properties (UK) Ltd v Dentsply Research and Development Corporation
Date
[1991]
Citation
2 EGLR 197, CA
Legislation
Keywords
Expert witness
Summary

The court criticised the valuation expert witnesses in this action for misrepresentation allegedly inducing the purchaser to enter into a contract to buy a property. Their evidence had been understandably rejected by the first instance judge.

'... it is a sad feature of modern litigation that expert witnesses, particularly in valuation cases, instead of giving evidence of their actual views as to the true position, enter into the arena and, as advocates, put forward the maximum or minimum figures as best suited to their side’s interests. If experts do this, they must not be surprised if their views carry little weight with the judge. In this case, such evidence rightly led the judge to reject the expert evidence on both sides'.