Mesothelioma claim for architect exposed to asbestos

Mr L worked was an Architect for most of his life and spent time in the early years working in the Chemicals and Plastics division of Distillers Company Limited.

The Distillers Company was formed by a combination of six whisky distilleries including Haig and Macfarlane. They became a huge FTSE 100 drinks and pharmaceutical company that was eventually bought out by Guinness & Co.

Distillers has a history of suppling industrial alcohol for making explosives and eventually went on to form The Carbon Dioxide Co Ltd with Turner and Newall – a well-known asbestos company – for the sale of gas, a byproduct of their operations. This company then went on to form the British Industrial Solvents for the production of acids and other solvents from industrial alcohol.

Mr L carried out extension and building design work on several factories owned by Distillers Company. He recalled exposure to asbestos when he supervised the building of the factories. He also oversaw the construction of council buildings in Hertfordshire, including schools that still exist today. Asbestos surveys indicated that the schools Mr L could recall working on still contained huge amounts of asbestos.

Mr L developed a bad chest and his doctors diagnosed him with asthma. However, the treatment did not work and his cough continued to worsen. He went for further tests and was diagnosed with Mesothelioma. At the time of his diagnosis, he and his wife had retired to a large house on the coast. Mr L was helping to care for his wife who was poorly with arthritis and was recovering from a hip replacement operation.

Unfortunately, Mr L passed away from Mesothelioma shortly after his diagnosis. Our solicitors started a claim against the company and the council, but neither admitted responsibility for the asbestos exposure. Court proceedings were issued, and a timetable was put in place to obtain expert engineering evidence. The claim was successful against The Distillers Company, and a six-figure settlement was awarded shortly before a trial was due to take place.