Overview
- The rechtbank Noord-Nederland found that expert Rinse Wiersum could not be considered independent because he did not disclose his roles as director and shareholder of D. O.G. in the IMG disclosure form.
- The judge declared the IMG's February 2025 rejection of Sietze De Jong’s claim unlawful and the IMG subsequently paid a higher compensation to De Jong, including court costs.
- The ruling drew on a joint investigation by RTV Noord, RTV Drenthe and Follow the Money that documented large earnings and ownership links at damage-assessment firms and cited unexplained jumps in Wiersum’s reported wealth.
- The IMG and the contracted bureaus say they will not change selection or disclosure procedures and argue their current disclosure statement and expert register safeguard independence.
- Legal scholars warn the decision could prompt other claimants to seek reassessments or legal reviews of reports produced by the same experts or shareholder-experts, which may affect many Groningen and Noord-Drenthe dossiers.