A claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 for reasonable...
The family of a man who had worked at a Royal Navy dockyard have obtained a six-figure settlement following his death from mesothelioma.
The man had worked at the dockyard as a lagger for about six months in the mid-1970s, stripping asbestos lagging from pipes in the engine rooms of ships. This work created clouds of asbestos dust, and asbestos debris would accumulate on the floor. He was given a mask to wear but this did not prevent him from breathing in asbestos dust. He and his colleagues were never warned about the dangers of working with asbestos.
Nearly 50 years later, at the age of 83, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer that commonly affects the lining of the lungs and is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma has a long incubation period, with symptoms typically appearing several decades after exposure.
He commenced a claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which was continued by his family after his death. The MoD did not admit liability but agreed to settle his claim for a six-figure sum.