How AI can help eliminate fundamental dishonesty from personal injury claims

Imagine a world where the risk of fundamental dishonesty doesn’t exist. Where every claim is checked automatically for credibility. Where disclosure, client statements, medical reports, and other evidence is compared instantly for consistency and coherence. Where lawyers can be confident that what they’re submitting is robust and honest.

That’s not a distant future; it’s something we can start building now.

How to spot dishonesty early in personal injury claims?

Fundamental dishonesty was first introduced under Section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (CJCA) to deter exaggerated or fraudulent personal injury claims. As outlined by Hill Dickinson, “the burden of proof is on the defendant to establish fundamental dishonesty to the civil standard.” But nobody wants fundamental dishonesty – not the claimant, who not only loses the case but is often ordered to pay both sides’ legal costs, nor the law firms and insurers, who incur an enormous waste of resources.

Fundamental dishonesty is arguably one of the most pressing issues for personal injury firms, as it goes beyond the loss of cost and resources. It can erode trust between claimants, insurers, and the justice system, potentially tainting those who are genuinely injured.

Personal injury lawyers are, at their core, advisors guiding clients towards fair outcomes by ensuring the claims advanced are supported and truthful. The difficulty, however, lies in identifying dishonesty early on and stopping it before it escalates.

Often, the warning signs are subtle: an inconsistency in the medical evidence, a discrepancy in a statement, or a gap between a claimant’s account and third-party data. Detecting these manually is possible, but it’s time-consuming, prone to human error, and heavily reliant on experience.

That’s where technology like artificial intelligence can transform the process.

How do we prevent fundamental dishonesty in the first place?

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping the way the legal sector operates, but its potential in personal injury law is only just beginning to become apparent.

As AI applications – like Matter AI – advance, we’re entering a world where every claim can be tested, end-to-end, against a backdrop of legal data, case law, and factual evidence. AI can automatically identify inconsistencies, flag issues in statements, and cross-check details that may otherwise go unnoticed. While it can’t replace the good judgment of a lawyer, it can ensure that judgment is better informed.

Matter AI can search for contact information, key dates, and appointments within a matter, as well as for factual inconsistencies, scanning from 10 to 10,000+ documents, emails, PDFs and handwritten notes to produce a detailed response with references to the specific files in seconds.

In essence, AI acts as a second pair of eyes, capable of spotting patterns objectively, allowing lawyers to identify potential dishonesty early, advise clients more effectively, and reduce the risk of claims being struck out.

Taking fundamental dishonesty out of the equation

By integrating technology into the personal injury process, AI handles the heavy lifting in data validation and risk detection, so firms can ensure their cases are solid from the outset.

For insurers and personal injury firms alike, the impact of fundamental dishonesty is staggering. Each fraudulent or exaggerated claim costs time, damages reputations, and drains resources. Eliminating dishonesty at the source would save the sector vast amounts of time and money whilst protecting the integrity of our profession.

Legal technology doesn’t just make work faster, it makes it fairer. The result? Fewer dishonest claims, stronger genuine ones, and a more trusted PI industry.

A future-proof solution for an avoidable challenge

Fundamental dishonesty is a challenge we can meet head-on by embracing the capabilities of AI and integrating them thoughtfully into the personal injury workflow.

With Matter AI leading the way, at LEAP, we’re making it possible for lawyers to do what they’ve always done best: pursue justice fairly, honestly, and with confidence.

About the author

With extensive experience in Personal Injury litigation, William O’Brien previously served as Partner at Express Solicitors, where he led teams managing catastrophic injury/ serious injury/ multi-track and fast-track injury claims. As Head of Personal Injury Law at LEAP Legal Software, William ensures that technology is designed to meet the real needs of PI practitioners, enhancing compliance and client care through innovation.