Originally Posted by
glenb
Wow folks, ive got everyone in my ear to get a lawyer, and I trully do ": get it".
I know that is the next step if it cannot be avoided.
It's a bit of a personal thing. The engagement of lawyers is the end of "good intent". The entire process moves to one of combat and no goodwill. My hope is that I can exhaust every single option that is available to me. Being let down by Local MP was indeed a big blow, but not all options are exhausted. There is the option of an Act of Grace Payment which may be an option to undo some of the harm caused.
Glen, this whole saga is already well past the goodwill stage. If you turn up to any face to face meeting with them without legal representation you're not even bringing a rubber knife to a gun fight. They'll have endless taxpayer dollars at their disposal for representation and will have carefully rehearsed everything so as to limit any liability. This is Senior Public Service Bureaucrat (Un-)Accountability 101, or for that matter any large organisation...watch the Robodebt Royal Commission evidence hearings to see it in action, or just about any Senate Estimates with CASA involved.
Let me flip my argument on its head and say you're right - that is, you meet with CASA that they are be so sorry and full of goodwill that they offer you an ex-gratia payment. I'd be nearly certain that it'll be a paltry amount as this is what they will have been advised to offer. You'll still need a legal representative to negotiate the best possible outcome for you if nothing else.
Fire up the GoFundMe, find a lawyer experienced in aviation law that is so aggressive that you don't even like them, and give 'em hell.