Asbestos victims face more delays after appeal judges referred their claims for compensation to the Supreme Court.
The judges could not agree on a High Court ruling that insurers are liable for damages from when the victims were exposed to asbestos.
Insurers argued it should be from the onset of symptoms, while victims’ lawyers said it should be from the time of exposure.
The lawyers said their clients faced “more confusion and uncertainty”.
The 2008 High Court verdict was hailed as a victory for the victims. It stated employers’ insurers at the time of exposure were liable to pay out on claims for mesothelioma caused by exposure to lethal asbestos in the workplace.
But instead, three Court of Appeal judges on Friday found in some cases the responsibility lay with the employers’ insurers at the onset of symptoms, which in some cases is 50 or 60 years later.
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