Carpenter’s mesothelioma claim settled for over £100k plus within eight months of instructions

Mr A was 77 when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He had worked as a carpenter for his whole working life. During his apprenticeship and again between 1963 and 1980 he had used a lot of asbestolux, which is an asbestos board. He had worked for a company that later became Keir construction. He gave very detailed statements about the locations he had worked in and the way he had worked. He had sawn and drilled asbestos boards almost every day making soffits for houses and lining airing cupboards. He described working in clouds of dust with no mask or any other protection.

The defendants took much persuading to accept the claim, because they denied that the Kier construction were the correct successors to the company Mr A had worked for. Court proceedings were issued and served to force them to deal. The claim was settled for over £100k within eight months of instructions.

Mesothelioma lawyers Helen Childs comments, “Mr A suffered dreadfully as a result of his mesothelioma, and was very distressed that the insurers queried his claim. He worked for his employers for more than 20 years, and felt angry and betrayed that he had to fight for compensation. Issuing proceedings forced the defendants to deal, and the claim was settled in Mr A’s lifetime, as he wished.”