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Pleural Plaques Bill re-opens asbestos litigation threat
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Litigation over pleural plaques - a lung condition caused by inhaling asbestos - is set to resume if the UK's House of Lords passes new legislation.
Last month the Damages (Asbestos Related Conditions) Bill was passed to the Lords.
The Bill, which attempts to reverse a ruling that made the condition uncompensatable, is awaiting its second reading.
In 2007 the Lords upheld an appeals court decision which exempted employers from compensating employees who develop symptomless pleural plaques after exposure to asbestos.
The Lords ruled that pleural plaques - a thickening of the lung membrane which does not develop into a serious illness - are not a disease.
The removal of the right to compensation saved UK insurers up to £1.4 billion over 25 years according to a study by Deloitte.
If the current Bill passes it will again define pleural plaques as a condition constituting actionable damages.
See CDR News website for the rest of the article.
If you have been diagnosed with pleural plaques and would like to be updated on the situation regarding compensation please get in touch with us by completing our online enquiry form.
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Emma Costin
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11/11/2009
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