Mr Justice Rimer recently gave judgment in Johnson v Medical Defence Union [2006], one of the more protracted data protection disputes to have come before the courts.
The claimant, David Johnson, is a surgeon. He was a member of the Medical Defence Union (MDU) which provided him with professional indemnity cover. His membership was terminated without warning in January 2002, despite the fact he had never been subject to a professional negligence claim. Johnson had, however, been the subject of several complaints and had sought the assistance and advice of the MDU on those and other professional issues. Each of these resulted in a new file being opened on Johnson by the MDU.
