Dushal
Mehta recovered damages for our client, Mr Gent, who is
suffering from mesothelioma.
Mr Gent worked as an electrical
contractor at the University of Surrey in the 1970s.
Together with two other electrical
contractors, he formed a partnership. They tendered for work at the
university. One project that the partnership secured involved
working in the library.
Seventy-two year old Mr Gent
was not provided with any protective clothing during this project.
He remembers being covered in asbestos dust as he worked. He
also moved asbestos ceiling tiles. They often broke,
releasing dust.
Mr Gent, who is married with grown
up children, was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma. He
instructed
Dushal Mehta to investigate a
claim against the University of Surrey.
The university denied liability and
said that the library did not contain asbestos. They also said
that they were not legally responsible for Mr Gent as he was
not their employee.
We obtained records from the
university. They showed that the library building contained
asbestos.
The university supervised Mr Gent's
work. We argued that this equated to an employer-employee
relationship.
Two days before trial, the
university made a settlement offer that Mr Gent was happy to
accept.