UK bill has British mesothelioma sufferers paying the cost of legal representation
It has recently become public knowledge that the British government is negotiating plans to have asbestos victims pay their own legal costs in legal compensation battles, and mesothelioma support groups and workers unions are fighting back.
“Victims have already taken the risk, they’ve already paid a price with their health and they should not have to face forking out any more,” says former Bradford textiles union leader and Bradford Asbestos Victims Support Group member Terry Briton. He added that he lost many of his Bradford, England union colleagues to asbestos cancer.
Asbestos is a highly toxic mineral fiber that was commonly used in several industries, including the construction and manufacturing industries, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Therefore, construction workers and other laborers are the most commonly exposed to carcinogenic asbestos fibers. Prolonged asbestos exposure can cause such fatal diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
The British Government’s proposals for a Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill would leave personal injury claimants to pay the legal costs previously paid by the defendant when found at fault. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke believes this will save £350 million by trimming publicly-funded civil and family legal cases, thereby reducing the numbers of people using the courts.
“Where is the justice in making dying asbestos victims bear the burden of legal costs on top of the pain and suffering, while rich and powerful insurance companies enjoy relief from costs which the losing party have, and should, rightly bear,” asks Briton.
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