Mr G was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in summer 2019 and shortly thereafter, instructed specialist mesothelioma solicitors at Hugh James to investigate a potential claim for damages.
Mr G was initially unsure exactly where he had come into contact with asbestos dust as he had never worked directly with asbestos containing materials, but instead had spent much of his working life as a chef, preparing meals both in pubs and in mass catering settings.
One such catering setting was the University of Bath, at which Mr G had worked in the Refectory, preparing meals for students. Hugh James were able to obtain documents from the University which confirmed that asbestos had been present throughout this building, including one document which suggested that both staff and students were at risk of asbestos exposure. Following a lengthy review of the documentation Mr G confirmed that routine repair and maintenance works had resulted in a disturbance of the asbestos materials present within the Refectory.
Despite a medical report confirming the causal link between this exposure and Mr G’s development of mesothelioma, the University initially denied that they were responsible for Mr G’s illness. Shortly after Mr G had issued his case at Court in summer 2020, however, the University accepted that they were liable and agreed to a six-figure sum in settlement of Mr G’s case. Payment of the same was made just over a year after Hugh James had initially been instructed, a swift turnaround for a case involving asbestos in an educational establishment, as such claims are often strenuously contested.
Mr G and his wife have been able to use this sum to relocate to East Anglia, in order to be closer to family who will be able to provide care to Mr G should his condition deteriorate.
