Former judge gives up attempt to sue after phone loss

A former judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday that he has given up on a case concerning the loss of his mobile phone, for which he had sued seeking €5,000 in compensation even though the actual device was worth a fraction of that.

Former ECtHR judge Loukis Loucaides, who at one time also served as deputy attorney-general, had sued two companies – Asepa Trading and Cyprus Radiolectrix – holding them responsible for having lost his mobile phone.

Loucaides had handed over his phone – a very old model, according to reports – for repairs to the companies in question. The companies said they agreed to try and have it repaired as a favour to Loucaides, even though they did not trade in that particular brand of mobile.

They sent the device on to a shop in Greece for repairs. The phone was misplaced while it was in Greece.

Loucaides then promptly sued, seeking €5,000 in compensation – €250 for the value of the device itself, plus €4,750 for the subsequent hassle he had to go through to recover his saved contacts.

The companies denied responsibility for the loss of the phone, but also challenged the claim that it was worth €250 – they said it was more like €90.

The district court which heard the case decided to award the plaintiff – Loucaides – only €250 compensation for the actual device.

Loucaides had represented himself in court.

Unsatisfied, the former judge appealed the decision.

At the appeals court, Loucaides changed tack; he claimed he was seeking the extra €4,750 not for the “man-hours” he had put in trying to recover his lost phone contacts, but rather for the “value” of the contacts themselves.

These were important numbers, he said – international personalities, ministers, university professors. He therefore assigned a monetary value to his inability to reach these individuals by phone.

The appeals court was not convinced. In its ruling, it also noted how Loucaides had caused “confusion” by changing his argument for why he was entitled to the additional €4,750 in compensation.

The appeals court’s decision came out a few days ago, with media picking up on the story.

The Cyprus Mail reached out to Loucaides, who said the case dates back about 10 years.

“I had about 70 phone contacts on there,” he said of his lost mobile phone.

Asked whether he’d further pursue the case legally, the former judge said no