A recent instruction from Ireland saw me flying to Dublin to value a classic car in a divorce case. Working as a sole expert and not a Single Joint Expert, the instruction came from a prescient young solicitor who felt that a desktop valuation from information received digitally would have challenged by the Judge and potentially disallowed. Consequently, it was decided that a report from inspection in person was required.
The visit came at very short notice. Instructed on a Friday afternoon, I flew in the following Monday morning and the report needed to be delivered by the Thursday. On landing at Dublin Airport, a bus from the airport to the city cente was followed by another bus to the former marital home and the classic car from the mid-1970s was duly inspected.
In this case, I had done some research in advance and spoke to a garage who had restored the car some years prior. Condition had slightly deteriorated over time, but not by much, and the market was strong for this right-hand-drive rarity, which remained in high demand from investors.
Expert Witness Court Appearances in Dublin
Despite being Irish and having family in and around Dublin, it was a busy day with no time for socials. A flight home to Birmingham that evening led to the following day being spent on the report. After delivery on Tuesday evening, there was a call the following lunchtime from the solicitor to return to Ireland on the Friday to give evidence at the famous Four Courts, due to some dispute over the report’s late-hour addition and its conclusions. Sadly I could not return at short notice, so the likelihood of adjournment loomed large.
Happily, there was no need to return as, faced with the possibility of a further four-month wait for another court date, and the potential for an updated market valuation at that time to be even higher, such was the nature of the car’s desirability, the parties agreed a financial settlement. It is always genuinely satisfying to help people find their way to resolution. I admired the solicitor for deploying her instincts in support of her client and finding a capable expert for the job, despite the fact that I was not located in Ireland.
Read more about my classic car divorce valuations work. Contact me at the links below.