New ruling on asbestos claims

Mr Justice Burton, sitting at the High Court, has ruled that families can claim compensation from those insurance companies whose policies covered their employees at the time they ere exposed to asbestos.

 

Previously, at an earlier hearing two years ago, the Appeal Court had ruled that the responsibility of insurers only began when symptons of the asbestos condition mesothelioma started to appear.

 

The ruling could affect thousands of future cases as insurers will now have to pay out in cases where the claimant contracted the disease more than 40 years ago.