A North East dad has won a settlement after seeking help from a firm 'for underdogs' following an incident which saw a car he was in catch on fire. 

Dr Bill Scott, 62, has won a settlement against a major worldwide corporation following help from dispute resolution service, Right Against Might (RAM), founded by advertising executive Chris Joseph.

The father of two's vehicle set alight while his son-in-law was driving down the A1M.

He was able to escape before flames consumed the car, however, the incident left him "petrified."

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The Northern Echo: Bill Scott

After being ignored by the vehicle manufacturer, Mr Scott turned to Mr Joseph's service after the former's car insurance refused to pay out an insurance claim on the basis there had been no accident.

After working with RAM and Mr Joseph, who lost his right arm in a horrific industrial accident, Mr Scott secured a settlement thanks to the newly formed service.

He said: ""It caused a lot of stress. My son-in-law was driving down the A1 in the pouring rain when the car broke down.

"He managed to pull it onto the hard shoulder but was stuck inside due to
lorries driving past on the inside lane.

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The Northern Echo: Chris Joseph

"He had to climb over to exit the other side. When he was out, the car burst into flames.

"In the aftermath, my insurance wouldn't pay out because the vehicle hadn't been involved in a crash.

"I tried ringing the car company but I couldn't get through to the right
person.

"I'm very busy and it looked easier to to drop it than go through lawyers to reach a settlement or get them to listen, which would take up a lot of time and be drawn out."

RAM pledges to take on "David vs Goliath" battles and challenge large institutions and individuals who don't live up to their promises.

Chris, 65, also from Stockton-on-Tees, has successfully challenged several multinational companies in the High Court in London. He has also taken on and beaten the banking industry.

Bill, who owns an engineering firm, claims RAM helped him to quickly secure a settlement, instead of dragging out the litigation process.

He added: "I have a lot of connections in the area because of my businesses and I didn't stand a chance of getting a settlement, so others don't either.

"I contacted Chris after I listened to an audio version of his autobiography, Zest!Seller, as I thought he would be able to help.

"We had a meeting and during that we came up with a campaign. We took it to the company and they backed down.

"I know for a fact that if I hadn't gone through RAM I wouldn't have got a settlement."

Shocking data shows the average time taken for small claims and multi/fast track claims to go to trial was a year and half in 2022.

Compared to 2019, these measures are 14.2 weeks longer for small claims and 17.8 weeks longer for multi/fast track claims.

Founder Chris, whose previous workplace was only fined £250 after he lost his right arm at the age of 20 after an industrial accident- in 1978 caused by an absence of health and safety precautions, said he knew what it was like to be an underdog.

He said: "I’ve spent a large part of my life fighting and being the underdog.

"Now I want to use those creative skills to help others through Right Against Might. All too often people are wrongly told that to get justice they need a highly-paid lawyer, solicitor or barrister.

"But you don’t need to be a legal expert to know the difference between right and wrong, and when someone is telling the truth. You need Right Against Might.

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"We usually resolve and settle complaints swiftly because our team has a dogged determination to seek justice and to see that right is done as quickly as possible.

"This isn’t just important for our clients, it’s important for their opponents too. We will go to the court of public opinion if necessary, it's much quicker than a court of law. But we know how to use both.

"The legal process can be as traumatic as it was for me going into the
machine."