Jeremiah Harman (judge)

Sir Jeremiah LeRoy Harman is a former English High Court judge.

Early life

Harman was educated at Eton College, before joining the Coldstream Guards. He was called to the bar in 1954. The son of a judge himself, he was appointed as a judge of the High Court's Chancery Division in 1982.

Judicial career

He achieved a certain degree of notoriety due to various public comments which were taken to reinforce the popular public stereotype of judges being out of touch with everyday life. He famously claimed not to have heard of Oasis at the height of their fame in 1996,^[1] and not to be familiar with the name of Paul Gascoigne in 1990 when he was a major media story due to his performances at the 1990 World Cup.^[1]

When a female witness indicated that she preferred to be addressed as "Ms", Justice Harman was reported to have said to her: "I've always thought there were only three kinds of women: wives, whores and mistresses."^[1]

He also earned the moniker the "kicking judge" in 1992 when he tried to kick a taxi driver whom he mistook for a press photographer.^[1]

Two of Mr Justice Harman's more notable decisions were:

• Cornhill Insurance plc v Improvement Services Ltd
• Breckland Group Holdings Ltd v London and Suffolk Properties

Resignation

He resigned his position in 1998 after being subject to severe criticism by the Court of Appeal for not handing down a judgment until 20 months after the hearing.^[1][2][3]

However, his court was packed, notably by his regulars at the Chancery Bar, when convened on the day of his retirement and he received a valedictory from the senior counsel present. He is said to have shed a tear.

References