Andrew
Morgan negotiated a
settlement of almost £200,000 for the family of a man who died from
mesothelioma.
We recovered £197,564 compenstion for
Mrs Nixon, whose husband, Len, was exposed to asbestos during his
working life.
Len was exposed to asbestos in his employment with a number of
companies, but the heaviest exposure occurred when he was employed
as a factory maintenance fitter working for "Gloy" between about
February 1977 and June 1979.
Len did repairs around the
factory. This involved repairing valves on steam pipes, which
he did himself. He removed the asbestos lagging around the
valves in order to gain access. He cut the asbestos lagging with a hacksaw.
Debris fell to the floor and into his hair
and into his face as he was cutting from underneath. The lagging
came away in chunks and crumbled like chalk. Mr Nixon repaired
valves in this way on only a few occasions in this
employment.
The company manufactured "Gloy"
adhesive that came in triangular bottles, with distinctive red
applicators, that have been in widespread use in schools for
decades.
The company was subsequently taken over by
Associated Adhesives Limited which itself ceased trading many years
ago.
Andrew tracked down the corporate
history of Gloy and of Associated Adhesives and found that
liabilities for claims such as this now rested with National Starch
& Chemical (Holdings) Limited, but the solicitors acting
for Gloy Limited and its successors denied they had any involvement
in the claim.
Sadly Len died at age 68 before
any insurers admitted they might be involved but Andrew was
subsequently able to pursue the claim on behalf of Len's
family. He was on the point of issuing court proceedings when
the defendants made their first offer.
Andrew was able to negotiate an increase to
a total of £197,564, which Mrs Nixon was happy to accept.
This offer included payment of £18,833 to St
Joseph’s Hospice, Hackney, for the charity-funded care that they
provided to Len during his illness, one of the largest payments of
this kind.