Leigh Day & Co has recovered over £150,000 in compensation for the widow of an asbestos victim. Our client died in September 2007 as a result of mesothelioma, a devastating asbestos related cancer. He had started a legal claim during his lifetime and this was continued by his widow who achieved a settlement before the matter was due to go to trial in February 2008. Bowater Flexible Packaging
Our client had originally worked as an accountant for Bowater Flexible Packaging in Kent. On occasions he would have to visit the boiler house at the factory and recalled the boilers and pipe work being lagged with grey asbestos lagging. On occasions he saw maintenance staff working outside the boiler house cutting up asbestos materials in the open air.
Whilst on holiday in Spain in April 2006, he noticed that he was becoming short of breath and on his return to the UK underwent several investigations before being diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006. As a result he instructed Leigh Day & Co to pursue a claim for compensation on his behalf. Although his employer had been taken over by another company, which has since gone into liquidation, lawyers at Leigh Day & Co were able to trace the relevant insurers to proceed with a claim against them. Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancerous tumour which grows on the outer lining of the lungs. Although it is considered a “rare cancer”, the number of cases is presently rising from approximately 2,000 a year and it is expected to peak at about 2,500 a year during the next decade. Unfortunately there is no known cure and in many cases it leaves sufferers with a very limited life expectancy. This makes the nature of litigation in relation to such cases relatively fast paced and in order to do this, Leigh Day & Co use the “Mesothelioma Fast Track” that runs in the High Court in London.
Solicitor, Daniel Easton comments:
“We are pleased to have achieved an amicable settlement with the Defendants in this matter and consider that our client has achieved a very good result. However, it is a shame that this matter was not settled during our client’s lifetime. We had originally made attempts to settle this case as far back as March 2007 and when the Defendant’s failed to respond, we secured a trial date in September 2007 to force their hand. Unfortunately our client died before we were able to get there. Although the case had not settled at the time he died, we had managed to obtain the Court’s judgment on liability and an order for the Defendants to pay an interim payment."
For more information please contact Daniel Easton on 020 7650 1200.
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