155000 Settlement for Widow of Mesothelioma Victim

 A Cheshire woman has secured £155,000 in an out of court settlement after her husband died of the asbestos-related disease, mesothelioma. Her husband had first worked as an apprentice joiner for W J Bush & Son from 1956 to 1964, where he was exposed to asbestos. From 1964 to 1993 he worked as a joiner for Moorcroft Construction, where he was further exposed to the cancer-causing substance.

 

The settlement came shortly after the introduction of measures in the Compensation Act 2006 which have made it easier for claimants to make asbestos-related claims against multiple defendants.

 

Mrs B, as she has been identified to maintain her anonymity, pointed to this as an important factor in her husband's case. One of the companies he worked for could not be traced. Without the changes made to the law by the Compensation Act, Mrs B would have lost part of her settlement. However, as the Act makes employers jointly and severally liable for any compensation due to employees who have suffered injury as a result of exposure to asbestos fibres by more than one employer, she was able to receive the full amount.

 

Employees who have been negligently exposed to asbestos by their employers now have greater support from the law.