Asbestos Related Disease mesothelioma
A North East family will finally receive compensation from a defunct asbestos company more than six years after their claim was settled
During the wait Ronald Laidler, 70, who set the claim in motion, sadly died from asbestos related disease mesothelioma in 2002.
His son, Colin Laidler, 48, who continued the fight on behalf of his mother, will be one of the first of hundreds of North East families, to receive compensation from the notorious former Washington Chemical Company owner’s T&N
The family will receive an undisclosed award after years of legal red tape and wrangling.
All claims against the company, which made asbestos and provided employment for thousands of North East families, were frozen in 2001 after T&N went into administration in the UK.
Since then claimants and their families have been waiting for administrators to reach agreement with T&N’s insurers and parent company Federal Mogul.
Thompsons Solicitors alone has more than 200 claims in the North East waiting for awards to be settled and paid.
In October last year the High Court of Justice approved a deal which would see claimants receive a share of their entitled awards.
Compensation to be paid
The first set of awards in the North East will be paid this week.
Colin said: "No amount of money compensates for the loss of your husband or father but without the help from Thompsons Solicitors and the GMB I am sure we would never have got this to a conclusion.
"We have been as close to receiving the compensation before and in between the compensation being awarded and the cheque being written T&N went into receivership. It is a relief to finally know the matter has been settled.
"I would like to say a big thank you to Thompsons Solicitors and the GMB for all their help and support."
Julie Elliott, regional organiser at the GMB Northern said: "I am pleased the Laidler family will now receive compensation after a long and hard battle. Receiving this award will bring an end to a very distressing and frustrating period for the family.
"This moment also marks the beginning of hundreds of other GMB members receiving their long-awaited compensation over the next few months."
Head of Asbestos Policy
Ian McFall, National head of asbestos policy at Thompsons Solicitors, said: "We have been engaged in one of the longest running and most difficult battles to obtain compensation for people who are suffering or have died from asbestos-related disease. I am glad that for many of them the struggle is now over or nearing an end. It was a matter of principle for us to stand by the victims and see this through from start to finish."
This story has also been reported in the Newcastle Journal at 'Compensation at last for asbestos victims'
Asbestos disease diagnosis? Talk to us for advice and support on how to secure compensation.
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we can support you with advice on how to make a claim.
The process will be explained in plain English and with no obligation – our priority is to provide you with the best, expert advice on whether you have a valid case for compensation, and to signpost you to further sources of support.
There are strict time limits applied to making a claim – usually three years from the date of diagnosis. It doesn’t matter if the exposure to asbestos took place – as it often does – decades ago, the three year time limit applies to the date of knowledge of diagnosis or date of death.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.