Family Succeed in Asbestos Claim for Late Mother
23/07/2008
The family of a Sunderland woman who died of an asbestos-related disease has succeeded in its claim against her former employer, County Luxdon Laundry Limited.
Margaret Dobson died in February 2005, just five months after she was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, an aggressive and terminal lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Mrs Dobson had worked for the Sunderland-based company from 1975 and was eventually made redundant from her position as an office worker in 1995. She was not aware that she had ever worked with asbestos.
Following investigations with former work colleagues, it emerged that the company’s factories where Mrs Dobson had worked, on Wycliffe Road and Fulwell Road, both contained extensive pipe work which was lagged with asbestos.
It is believed that she was exposed to asbestos dust through maintenance of the pipe work and she had not been exposed to asbestos anywhere other than in her employment.
The family issued court proceedings against the company in May 2008 at the High Court in London. The family’s solicitor, Lucy Proctor of Irwin Mitchell, Newcastle, said the success of the case was in part owing to the number of witnesses who were able to give detailed information about Mrs Dobson’s employment history.
"Although the company were not prepared to admit that they had exposed Mrs Dobson to the asbestos which caused her condition, the evidence which was provided by her former work colleagues helped us to prove to the court that this was where she was exposed to the deadly substance,” she said.
"The five figure settlement was agreed following the court’s order that liability for Mrs Dobson’s condition fell to County Luxdon Laundry Limited."
Graeme Dobson, one of Mrs Dobson’s three children who pursued the claim on her behalf following her death said: "The last few years have been very difficult for my family. No amount of compensation can replace what we have lost but we hope we can now move forward.
"We would like to thank everyone that was able to give us information about County Luxdon Laundry and the use of asbestos in the factories, which has helped us to secure justice for our mother. Your help has been very much appreciated."