A newly appointed judge, Justice Phillipa Phillips-Sadza, is under fire for filing a lawsuit against a medical aid company, CIMAS, claiming their mistakes caused her physical distress.
Justice Phillips-Sadza alleges that CIMAS sent her medical test results to the wrong doctor and failed to follow through on an agreement to waive her medical aid fees for three months for herself and her ten dependents.
She is seeking $20,000 in damages for “sh0ck, physical and mental pain” related to the company’s alleged negligence as reported by ZimLive.
This incident took place in 2021, before she became a judge. In her court documents submitted on October 24, she claims that the delays in receiving her test results resulted in her experiencing an early m3nstrual period, which she argues was not due at that time.
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Several lawyers have criticized her for taking this legal action, saying it is “unusual” and “unnecessary.”
One lawyer pointed out that judges should choose their legal battles carefully, adding that judges should generally avoid being involved in lawsuits unless absolutely necessary.
Another lawyer questioned why she waited until she was a judge to file the claim against CIMAS. They also expressed concern about the potential for bias if she were to testify in her own lawsuit.
In her filing, Justice Phillips-Sadza stated that she met with her doctor in July 2021 and was instructed to undergo specific medical tests that were urgent.
She claims that not only did CIMAS delay sending her results, but they also misdirected them to a different doctor, leading to further treatment delays and forcing her to miss work for follow-ups.
She also raised concerns about her privacy being violated.
Initially, she claims to have sent CIMAS a legal notice in November 2021, after which the company agreed to waive fees for three months.
However, she says they only extended this waiver to her and two of her dependents, leaving out the other eight.
Justice Phillips-Sadza says she has attempted to negotiate with CIMAS, but they have not cooperated.
This controversy follows another instance where her actions were questioned after she attended a golf event sponsored by Seed Co Zimbabwe, which featured many top business leaders currently involved in court cases.
Legal experts remarked that this raises questions about the judge’s impartiality and professionalism.
