Asbestos Workers in Scotland Can Claim Insurance
Court Rules in Favour of Asbestos Victims After Insurance Firms Challenge Previous Legal Decision
It was looking like it could be one of the many examples of particular conditions not being covered by insurance – highlighting, as ever, the need to shop around and find a policy that is right for you, should it exist – but according to numerous news sources today victims of asbestos suffering from pleural plaques will be able to claim compensation from their insurance companies.
Prior to the settlement a number of insurance companies had challenged a previous ruling allowing victims to claim on their conditions as a result of asbestos-exposure from heavy industries. It overturned a ruling from House of Lords, which said that those suffering from Pleural plaques – which is where lung membranes thicken – could not make a claim.
Since the news emerged there have already been calls for insurance firms to ensure that they pay out and make good on the court ruling, with the Daily Record quoting members of the public who hope that insurance companies pay out to those that need it. However, as the paper points out, there have already been many people that have died of pleural plaques in the five years it has taken for the UK ruling to be overturned.
It might not be the end of the story, however, as the insurance companies have vowed to fight the case further – taking it to the UK Supreme Court if they have to. Though asbestos-related issues can be claimed on insurance policies, and various payments have been made in relation to this over the years, insurers say that pleural plaques does not infringe on quality of life.
Insurance companies had previously stated that by overturning the ruling it would mean that there would be an opening ‘of the floodgates’ and that costs would amount to tens of millions over the next twenty years. This is much higher than those predicted by MSPs when the law was passed.
