A Thomas Cook customer who claimed she fell ill while on holiday has had her case thrown out for being “neither plausible nor credible”.
A judge at Worcester country court told ruled the claim from 27-year-old Marissa McLean of Redditch was “fundamentally dishonest”.
The healthcare assistant alleged she had fallen ill after eating undercooked chicken while on holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in September 2015.
However, social media posts appeared to show McLean enjoying herself when she claimed she was so ill she was forced to trot back and forth to the toilet.
Thomas Cook argued that there was no evidence to back up McLean’s version of events and the operator had been unable to track down the doctor she claimed to have seen.
The ruling by the judge meant Thomas Cook was able to recover the money it had spent fighting the case. McLean was ordered to pay £2,812 and refused leave to appeal.
The case is the latest to be successfully fought by operators who have seen claims for gastroenteritis rocket by 500% over the last two years.
Travel Weekly’s Fight Fake Claims and Abta’s Stop Sickness Scams campaigns have sought to highlight what is widely thought to be a rise in fraudulent claims fuelled by claims management companies.
The government has said it will act to limit the amount of money legal firms can make from pursuing such claims to bring it in line with legislation brought in to address the rise in whiplash persona injury claims related to road accidents.
