did u not mean to type:

disgraceful

How bizarre. Poor gal.

Wtf?

I diagnose a classic case of mental block file. Easily done on glacial PI work. 

Dickhead couldn’t bear to even open that file looking at him in the dusty corner of his office;  limitation ran out, and rather than fessing up, he decided on this elaborate charade.

As each year went by, he doubled down on his charade, and probably by year 3-4 of it he knew full well where it would end. 

Either the bloke is a complete sociopath, or else he must have dreaded going into the office each day wondering whether there would be another letter from his client.

Quite why the firm’s systems hadn’t spotted such a bizarre Jarndyce case on their books is an open question.

What Marshall said 

Chances are he never changed jokes as he knew the next person in would like wtf? 

And it would be over earlier 

Walter Mitty character like davos

Are you ok ?

It’s always the coverup that kills isn’t it? I guess if he’s just fessed up as soon as he became aware that he’d neglected the case (which sounds like BS) then at least he could have had a hope? 

Yes, he would have got a ticking off and she would have got her compo from his insurance.

I wonder if he thought he could make up the money somehow and save himself, like Nick Leeson.