Chris Baxter was a "no win no fee" solicitor who in January 2004 reluctantly agreed to take on Cilla Brown's claim that Rita Sullivan had caused ABH against her son Chesney after she'd caught the lad stealing sweets from The Kabin. In reality, Rita had given him a clip round the ear, but in an attempt to make a quick getaway from the premises, Chesney tripped and banged his head. Cilla saw the incident as a golden opportunity to extort compensation from Rita - the police were involved and Chesney was further encouraged to play up his "injuries" when he was seen at Weatherfield General.
With the case against Rita due to be heard at Weatherfield Magistrates Court within the next few days, Mr Baxter advised his client that if Rita was to be found guilty of the charge against her, a compensation award would most likely be fixed between £500 and £1,000. Incensed, Cilla announced that she intended to find another legal representative, however Mr Baxter thought it unlikely that anyone else would be willing to take on her case - and even he hadn't decided for certain either! Spotting a photograph of his daughter Wendy on his desk, Cilla nastily retorted that he shouldn't be in a position to value children so cheaply, and feeling backed into a corner, he reluctantly agreed to taking on the case. As an afterthought, Mr Baxter suggested that the level of compensation may be pushed up further if Chesney's fake injuries also consisted of memory loss.