Perth, Bonnie Scotland

A TAXI firm are to pay a customer almost £3000 – over her high heels.

Banker Vibha Upadhyaya, 33, broke her shoes and hurt her ankle as a cab pulled away before she could get in properly and dragged her along the street.

She claimed the injury left her unable to wear heels for a while and that her confidence had been damaged.

Vibha sued Paul Hodgekiss, trading as Thistle Taxis, for the cost of her shoes and broken iPhone and the suffering she sustained.

She also claimed compensation for her lack of enjoyment of a pilgrimage to a holy shrine in India and for her inability to decorate her new home.

Despite a sheriff ruling that Vibha, from Bridge of Don, Aberdeenshire, had exaggerated her evidence, she was awarded £2909 compensation.

Perth sheriff Fiona Tait said: “While I do not think she sought to mislead the court, I gained the distinct impression that she was anxious to maximise her various heads of claim and had a tendency to exaggerate the extent of injury on all aspects of her life.

“The pursuer’s injury was minor. There was complete resolution within months.”

Thistle Taxis didn’t deny liability for the accident at Perth train station on September 12, 2012.

Vibha suffered soft tissue damage and was off work for two days. She had trouble walking for a fortnight.

The sheriff awarded her £2400 for the injury and £350 in recognition of the help her husband provided while she was injured. She also awarded £40 for the heels and £119 for the phone.

But the sheriff rejected the financial advisor’s £1000 claim that her trip to India had been ruined. Vibha had booked the trip after the accident.
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Chicago, USA

Uber adds lobbyists as it begins to lose Springfield's taxi war

 More top lobbyists and other politically connected types are getting involved as the taxi cab/ride-sharing war rages on in Springfield and Chicago.

In the latest move, Uber Technologies Inc. has brought aboard Jack Lavin, who until September was chief of staff to Gov. Pat Quinn.

Another addition: lobbyist Al Ronan, whom I hadn't seen on previous lists. They join, among others, former state Sen. Jim DeLeo, D-Chicago, and Mike Kasper, who has close ties to both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and House Speaker Michael Madigan.


http://tinyurl.com/n2sntru