Peter Goss' fight against insurance company

Aim

Peter Goss did everything he could to save his business following a fire. Last hope: to sue the insurance company for negligence

Following a devastating fire in December 2022, Peter Goss of Goss Joinery, Rattery, Devon, felt a sense of optimism knowing that he had a high level of insurance with a well-regarded insurance company - or so he thought! 

As the weeks passed and the extent of the fire became clear, the insurance company did everything it could to not hand over the much-needed money to repair the damage and to keep the business afloat. Meanwhile, Peter and his team worked all hours and explored all avenues to keep going against all odds. In August 2023, Peter realised that there was no other option but to close the doors on his much-loved business that he had built over the previous 3 decades.

Now, some 11 months later, the insurance company has only paid a fraction of the claim and has confirmed that no more money will be released. To date, Peter has already funded an experienced litigation lawyer to assess the position, and she has advised that there is a high chance of being able to pursue a claim for negligence against the insurance company. He wants to use the money raised here to fund the next stage of the legal process.

If the claim is successful, the benefactors will not be Peter Goss in the first instance, but will be a long list of small, local businesses who were Peter's creditors at the time when he had to close the door on the business.

Through no fault of his own (the fire was declared accidental by the forensic assessor) Peter has lost his business, 15 people who he employed have lost their jobs, and the South Hams has lost an excellent company that built beautiful bespoke interiors. The insurance company should be held to account and Peter wants to make sure that they foot the bill and take responsibility for not making sure that Goss Joinery's insurance levels were as they should be. If Peter does make a successful claim sufficient to meet the debts left by the business, he will also re-invest into crowdfunded causes.

Read the full story here on Devon Live: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/devon-tradesmans-firm-destroyed-fire-8837347

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you even more if you can support Peter's cause!

This project successfully funded on 21st December 2023