A man claimed he developed scabies after a stay at a Travelodge took the hotel chain to court.
Darren Jones spent three nights at a Travelodge during a work trip in July 2021. He claimed that after the stint he developed a rash across his body and that he was later diagnosed with scabies. Mr Jones, 52, then took the company to court seeking damages while Travelodge denied liability.
But the trial last October was halted after he failed to provide the right paperwork. Mr Jones, of Old Colwyn, north Wales, appealed the decision at Mold County Court today but a judge ruled the district judge in the trial had been correct. His Honour Judge Gareth Humphreys said in today’s case that he accepted Mr Jones’ health problems had been “horrendous.”
But the judge pointed out he should have provided a witness statement in advance, as directed by the court, so it could have been used during an examination by Travelodge’s legal team. Mr Jones only produced a “statement of truth,” although today’s judges accepted that it would have “mirrored” what his witness statement would have said.
Following the hearing, Mr Jones, who represented himself, told North Wales Live: “I’m massively disappointed with the whole process.” Outside the court he said: “I became unwell after three nights in the (Reading Whitley Travelodge) hotel.” He added, he had used a hotel duvet kept in a plastic bag in the room’s wardrobe during the hot spell.
Mr Jones said he felt sick three days later when he went to walk to his van and claimed two doctors told him: “We are sorry to tell you you have contracted scabies.” Barrister Gareth Compton, who represented Travelodge, said his client reminded Mr Jones about the statement three times before the trial. A district judge struck out his case at the trial as he had not done so.
Judge Humphreys told Mr Jones the hearing was “not about whether you contracted scabies at the hotel.” He continued: “The district judge decided on the day of the trial you had not filed a witness statement setting out your case, which the defence (Travelodge) had done, and you were therefore in breach of the court order.”
He also denied Mr Jones permission to appeal the decision. In his ruling, the judge added: “What is clear is that he (Mr Jones) is extremely upset about the conduct of Travelodge. There is no doubt that he did contract scabies. That’s confirmed by the medical report.
“It’s clear that has had a significant impact on him. He’s convinced entirely, in his own mind, that it’s the fault of Travelodge and they are liable for his contracting scabies. That would have been an issue that the court would have had to decide at trial. (We) never got to that determination.”
He said the health problem sounded “horrendous” but the Supreme Court ruled people representing themselves in court must stick to the same rules as legally-qualified experts. The court heard Travelodge made offers to Mr Jones to settle without admitting liability.
A Travelodge statement read: “Travelodge strongly denies the allegation made by Mr Jones.”
According to the NHS, scabies is an itchy rash caused by mites and is spread through close skin contact. While not a serious condition, it should be treated as soon as someone suspects they have symptoms.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.