A charity in Scotland's Outer Hebrides says it has been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy after being wrongly sued by Claire Kellerman, the adoptive daughter of late M*A*S*H actress Sally Kellerman, in a row over her dog being refused entry to a community cafe. The Great Bernera Community Development Trust (GBCDT) had no role in running the cafe but was mistakenly served legal papers instead of the actual operator, Bernera Community Association, forcing it to spend thousands of pounds on lawyers before the claim was withdrawn. The case, funded by Scottish legal aid, has caused anger among trust directors who say public money is being used to pursue what they consider a vexatious action.

GBCDT director Mark Bryant said the trust spent around £7,000 defending itself despite repeatedly warning Kellerman's lawyers and the Scottish Legal Aid Board of the error, and cannot recoup any costs because of her legal aid status. Kellerman's lawyers, acting through Glasgow's Ethnic Minorities Law Centre, have since amended the claim to target Bernera Community Association for £10,000, a sum the charity says could bankrupt it if costs keep rising. Locals allege Kellerman was banned from the cafe over her behaviour rather than because of her dog, and claim the animal has harassed livestock and wildlife on the island, though she maintains it is a service dog for an undisclosed disability.