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The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Author of bestselling memoir The Salt Path accused of lying
It has been one of the films of the summer so far – the tale of Raynor Winn and her husband Moth, who embark on the 630-mile South West Coast Path walk after their house is repossessed and Moth is diagnosed with a terminal illness. There has been almost universal praise for the life-affirming story of The Salt Path, which has won rave reviews from critics. Until now. On Sunday, The Observer published an investigation which made a series of claims about the author of the best-selling book on which the film is based. The report alleged that Winn took tens of thousands from a former employer, and suggests she lied about being made homeless and about the circumstances under which the couple's house was repossessed in the memoir. It also cast doubt over the legitimacy of Moth's diagnosis. Contacted by The Guardian, Winn said the Observer report was 'highly misleading'. 'We are taking legal advice and won't be making any further comment at this time. 'The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.' Raynor Winn – whose real name is Sally Walker, according to the report – took 'around £64,000' from an estate agency and property surveyor where she worked as a bookkeeper. Walker was subsequently arrested, said the wife of the business owner. The Salt Path describes the couple losing their home after investing a 'substantial sum' in the business of Moth's childhood friend Cooper, which subsequently failed. According to Winn, Cooper claimed the couple were responsible for company debts, and took them to court, where the judge ordered the repossession of their house. However, it is claimed the Walkers' house was in fact repossessed after the couple did not pay back a loan used to cover the money Walker took from the estate agency, according to the investigation. The Walkers borrowed £100,000 from a distant relative of Tim's, and the loan was secured against their house. It is alleged that the relative also helped Walker get a solicitor, who approached her former employer, Martin, with the offer that she would pay back the money and cover legal costs. The Observer claimed that Martin also agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and that no criminal charges were pursued against Walker. Tim's relative's business failed, and the Walkers' house was ultimately repossessed in June 2013. Yet, while Winn depicts the couple as being made 'homeless' and having nowhere to go, documents seen by the Observer show that the Walkers bought a house in France in 2007, which they still own. The investigation also casts scepticism over Moth's diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD), which he has apparently lived with for 18 years. Michele Hu, a professor of clinical neurosciences at Oxford University named in the report, said that she would be 'very sceptical' that it is CBD. 'I've never looked after anyone that's lived that long.' Following The Salt Path, Winn published two further books, The Wild Silence and Landlines. Each of the books opens with Moth suffering from the symptoms of CBD, before the couple go on a difficult walk and Moth's symptoms seem to improve. The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies worldwide since its publication in 2018. Last month, a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released in the UK. 'The film is a faithful adaptation of the book that we optioned,' said Number 9 Films and Shadowplay Features, the two production companies behind the film. 'The allegations made in the Observer relate to the book and are a matter for the author Raynor Winn. There were no known claims against the book at the time of optioning it or producing and distributing the film and we undertook all necessary due diligence before acquiring the book.' A fourth book by Winn, On Winter Hill, is scheduled to be released in October. Michael Joseph, the Penguin imprint that publishes Winn's memoirs, did not comment or respond when asked whether the publication of On Winter Hill would go ahead. PSPA, a charity which supports people with CBD and had worked with the Winns, has now ended its relationship with the family, according to the BBC. Winn has also withdrawn from the forthcoming Saltlines tour, on which she was scheduled to appear alongside The Gigspanner Big Band at a number of UK venues.
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Amazon Expands Same-Day Delivery to Rural Areas
'There can be many hidden risks when rearranging a business model or expanding a service, and advice from legal counsel is essential to mitigate potential issues. '— Ken LaMance, LegalMatch's General Counsel. RENO, NV, UNITED STATES, July 3, 2025 / / -- On Tuesday, June 24th, Amazon announced they will be expanding their same-day delivery services to more rural areas that typically don't have that shipping option. Amazon aims to ensure that all of its shoppers can experience same-day delivery, as some consumers and businesses need products on the very same day, and Amazon would like to meet that need. This expansion will leverage Amazon's extensive logistics network and delivery technologies so it can overcome the unique challenges of including rural areas in its same-day shipment accuracy. However, when a company wishes to make a significant business shift or expansion, legal complexities and risks may follow, such as: - Contractual Agreements - Regulatory Compliance - Liability & Risk Management - Intellectual Property Disputes - Many more If a business owner is interested in making a big change or expanding the business model and structure, it is imperative to review all of the intricacies and get advice from a legal representative. Platforms like America's first-ever attorney-client matching platform, can prove to be extremely useful and can match individuals or businesses for free with an experienced business attorney. LegalMatch also comes equipped with an online Law Library with a plethora of educational articles on many legal topics. Users can review what kind of legal scenario they may be in, find out what steps they need to take to proceed, and which attorney could represent them and give them the best legal advice moving forward. About LegalMatch is the nation's oldest and largest online legal lead-generation service. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, LegalMatch helps people find the right lawyer and helps attorneys find new clients. LegalMatch's service is free to individuals and small businesses looking for legal help. For more information about LegalMatch, please visit our website or contact us directly. Ken LaMance LegalMatch +1 415-946-0856 email us here Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- The Guardian
Windrush scandal victims got less compensation due to lack of legal advice funding, review finds
Survivors of the Home Office Windrush scandal have received significantly less compensation than they may be entitled to, due to the lack of government funding for legal advice during the application process, a study has found. A review of 17 applications to the compensation fund revealed that claimants who challenged their awards after taking legal advice received huge increases in the amount offered. One woman's payout rose from £300 to £170,000 after a lawyer assisted her, and a man who was initially refused any compensation received a £295,000 settlement after legal support from a charity. Other people's awards rose from zero to £95,000 or increased from £10,000 to £150,000, with legal help. The scheme denied compensation to two-thirds of applicants, according to the study, co-written by the law reform charity Justice, the University of Sussex and the law firm Dechert, which calls for funded legal assistance for claimants. While the Post Office and infected blood compensation schemes both offer applicants legal advice, the Windrush scheme is an exception among state compensation programmes in not providing this support. One claimant who was born in the late 1950s in the Caribbean and came to the UK as a child, given the pseudonym Jerome in the report – called People Need Legal Help – lost his passport in the 1970s and did not replace it because he had no plans to go abroad. He worked in the building and steel industries until the early 2000s, when he switched jobs but found himself unable to re-enter the workforce because he could not prove his right to live and work in the UK. He was unable to find work for 17 years, before finally being granted British citizenship in 2019 after the Home Office was forced to admit that it had wrongly classified thousands of Windrush-era residents as immigration offenders. He applied for compensation by himself that year, but his application was rejected because he struggled to provide documentary evidence proving that his job applications had been turned down as a result of his inability to demonstrate lawful immigration status in the UK. When a pro bono lawyer assisted him to challenge the refusal, helping him gather the required letters from former employers and job rejections, he was awarded £225,000 for denial of access to employment between 2002 and 2019 and £70,000 in recognition of the impact this had on his life. Emunah Baht Gavriel arrived in the UK in 1979 from Trinidad and worked for decades as an NHS nurse in hospitals in London, Leicester, Bristol and Peterborough. Her passport containing the stamp stating she had indefinite leave to remain in the UK was stolen in 2000; when she submitted her new passport to the Home Office in 2007 to get a new stamp, the department lost it. This left her unable to prove her immigration status, and she had to leave her job. She experienced significant financial hardship, falling into rent arrears, and at times was forced to scavenge for food. She was unable to travel abroad to visit her terminally ill mother or attend her funeral. Her daughter, who was born in the UK, was also threatened with deportation because of her mother's uncertain status. An initial offer of £20,000 compensation was challenged by pro bono lawyers from United Legal Access, and the payout was subsequently significantly increased. 'I was incandescent at the original award. I needed legal help to get through the technical processes,' she said. Her lawyer, Sibon Phiri Twaibu, said there was a 'culture of disbelief' within the Home Office, where officials seemed inclined to attribute claimants' challenges to reasons other than their unresolved immigration status. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Marcel Carry, a graphic designer born in the US who came to the UK as a young child, and who lost work for more than five years because he was unable to prove his immigration status, also received an increased award after pro bono legal assistance from the Southwark Law Centre in London. 'It doesn't make sense that legal aid is not available. The process causes so much trauma. They keep asking you for more and more evidence, which most people can't provide,' he said. A Home Office spokesperson said there had been a reset of its approach to assisting those affected by the issues. 'This government is determined to ensure that victims of the Home Office Windrush scandal are heard, that justice is sped up, and that the compensation scheme is run effectively. Earlier this year, we launched a £1.5m advocacy support fund to provide dedicated help from trusted community organisations when victims are applying for compensation. 'However, we recognise there is more to be done, which is why ministers are continuing to engage with community groups on improvements to the compensation scheme, and will ask the new Windrush commissioner to recommend any further changes they believe are required.'
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Two Irish-based lawyers and their links to Putin's soft-power agency
An ad placed by a Dublin -based solicitor in a Russian -language newspaper based in Ireland in 2023 offered a free consultation to 'compatriots'. What Elizaveta Donnery's offer didn't mention was that the service would be funded by the Kremlin through Pravfond, an organisation established in 2012 with the stated goal of protecting the rights of Russians living abroad, primarily by offering assistance in legal matters. However, the EU and European intelligence agencies say Pravfond does much more than that in some countries. While Pravfond is used in Ireland solely for funding the provision of legal advice to Russian expats, it is used for different purposes in other countries. READ MORE In these countries, it is designed to act as a safety net for Russian intelligence assets – agents or spies – who get into legal trouble abroad, according to western security services. In some countries, it also provides cover stories for these spies. Now, a new investigative project , co-ordinated by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an independent network of journalists, reveals for the first time the activity of Pravfond across dozens of countries, activity that has continued despite the imposition of EU sanctions in 2023. The journalists – including Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher – sifted through an archive of Pravfond's records with 55,000 emails and 20,000 documents to examine the extent of the organisation's operations. He found another Irish-based Russian solicitor, Olga Shajaku, mentioned in the documents. There is no documentary evidence showing that she ever received funds from Pravfond but in one email, sent in 2016, contained within internal Pravfond records, she provided the organisation with the bank details of her firm's client account. Unlike certain Pravfond-funded operations in other countries, there is nothing to suggest that Donnery or other Russians in Ireland supported by Pravfond engaged in intelligence gathering, influence operations or illegal activity. So what is Pravfond and what role has it played in funding propaganda operations designed to improve Russia's reputation abroad? And why would the Kremlin be interested in funding free legal aid to its diaspora in Ireland? The Russian Embassy in Dublin rejects the findings of the reporting project, calling them 'preposterous allegations' and noting that Pravfond provides 'legal assistance in cases of violations of the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of compatriots, in full accordance with universally recognised humanitarian principles and norms of international human rights law'. Gallagher tells In the News about the investigation and Pravfond's activities. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Wall Street Journal
12-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Did You Shoot Somebody in Self-Defense? There's an Insurance Policy for That.
Within an hour, a USCCA attorney called to represent him. But after Huston was arrested and charged with attempted murder, he says the USCCA lawyer told him the case was a difficult one and advised him to plead guilty to a lesser charge. He went out and found a new lawyer, who got the charges dismissed. Even though USCCA also paid for the new lawyer, Huston quit his membership shortly after the two-year legal saga ended.
