Victims of asbestos-related lung cancer should receive full compensation in the same way as victims of mesothelioma, APIL has said this week in a regional press campaign.

Asbestos-related lung cancer is so similar to mesothelioma that doctors can mistake the two diseases for one another. Both cancers are caused by exposure to asbestos and usually contracted at work.

“But there is a very unfair disparity legally between how victims of these two diseases are treated when it comes to seeking justice for the death sentences inflicted on them by negligent employers,” said APIL executive committee member Daniel Easton.

“People who are diagnosed with mesothelioma need to find just one of their negligent former employers to claim full compensation. The responsible insurer can then continue the search for other employers in order to apportion blame between them. People with a terrifying, terminal illness obviously do not have the luxury of time to find insurance records themselves.

“But asbestos-related lung cancer victims must track down all firms which exposed them to asbestos to receive full compensation. Otherwise, they can miss out on thousands of pounds which can be crucial in paying for medical treatment and care,” he told the press.

A series of press releases have been issued to areas with high numbers of deaths from mesothelioma. APIL points out that the figures do not tell the whole story, as there are also more victims – those who die from asbestos-related lung cancer.

Press releases have been issued to the media in the north east, Medway in Kent, Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, the south including Plymouth, and West Dunbartonshire in Scotland.

APIL is calling for a UK-wide law allowing sufferers of asbestos-related lung cancer to receive full compensation in the same way as mesothelioma victims.

To read the press release click here

APIL’s Asbestos Conference 2024 takes place on October 18 at the Marriott Hotel, Regents Park, London, or virtually. To find out more and to book a place click here.

Watch our new promotional video for APIL conferences here.

APIL is inviting Serious Injury Guide signatories and supporters to a stakeholder workshop on 5 February next year in London.  

After the success of our workshops in 2018 and 2022, the Serious Injury Guide Steering Committee is holding a further event to enable claimant solicitor and insurer participants, and defendant solicitors supportive of the guide, to network and share hints and tips about how to get the most out of the Serious Injury Guide.

The afternoon will be a mix of presentations by the steering committee and colleagues, and breakout discussion sessions. The event will also feature Master Amanda Stevens, who will present a judicial view of the Serious Injury Guide.

Presentation topics will include:

• Introduction by Master Stevens
• Making offers under the guide
• Disclosure
• Case studies of the guide in action
• Recent developments and how they will affect the Serious Injury Guide

Breakout sessions will provide an opportunity for attendees to discuss cases where the guide has worked for them, and where it may not have worked so well, and to share tips on overcoming any difficulties.

For more information, and if any APIL members would like to attend the workshop, please contact Alice Taylor, APIL’s legal policy manager, at [email protected] by Monday 7 October.

Thousands of loving family members and friends are ineligible for statutory bereavement damages because of the archaic way England and Wales define ‘family’, said APIL president Kim Harrison in her latest blog.

"The Government’s outdated and unsympathetic view of what constitutes a family is only half the issue. England and Wales still only offer a set amount for bereavement damages of £15,120. In Northern Ireland it’s £17,200," she said in the blog, written to coincide with August being National Road Victim Month, which is hosted by RoadPeace.

"APIL continues to implore the Government to bring the bereavement damages system into the 21st century by following Scotland’s lead, which offers no fixed amount for bereavement damages and instead assesses each death on a case-by-case basis. Scotland also recognises the closeness of various family members, including those not eligible under the England and Wales system – such as unmarried fathers, or adult children," said Kim.

She also said in the blog: "We cannot afford to be passive in our concentration or careless in obeying road rules. These are roads we all share and we must work together to highlight that each road death is one too many.

"Behind every one of the 1,711 people who died on UK roads in 2022 is a story. A person who had friends, family, ambitions, desires, and dreams. Their families will feel their loss forever."

To read Kim’s blog in full, click here.

To read more about National Road Victim month, click here.

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