£170,000 for Fleet Street printer in mesothelioma claim

Jack left school in southeast London aged 16 to join the printing trade in the 1960s. After working several jobs for local publications around the capital, he landed a prestigious Fleet Street role as a Linotype night operator at The Daily Telegraph in 1974.

For 12 years he was one of the 80 or so Linotype operators that worked day and night to get the newspaper out. The machine included a central melting pot containing molten lead alloy, used to cast lines of type (slugs) formed by keystrokes on a keyboard. Once a line was complete, the slug was moved in front of the pot, where molten metal was injected to create solid type, which was then reused.

To keep the pot hot, it was heated by Bunsen burners in earlier years and later by electric heaters. Asbestos sheets, around ten inches long and four inches wide, were wrapped around the pot as insulation due to the high temperatures. The pots had no lids, and the molten metal was visible from above.

During repairs, engineers would remove the lead pot and strip away the asbestos insulation. Jack and his colleagues were exposed to asbestos fibres during this process, without any protective equipment or warning.

Major demolition work was conducted at the Telegraph offices during Jack's time, but the building remained fully operational throughout. He and other night workers continued to use an old toilet block that was in the process of being ripped out, where asbestos had been used around the pipes. Jack recalls asbestos debris and dust across the floor, which they would kick out of the way.

Jack developed a persistent cough and fatigue in 2023 and, after months of worsening symptoms, was diagnosed with epithelioid mesothelioma. He started dual immunotherapy treatment, but it caused frequent vomiting and diarrhoea resulting in acute kidney failure, so was stopped. He learnt to walk with the help of a stick, and his shortness of breath, back pain and exhaustion worsened.

Fieldfisher was recommended to Jack as a firm that is expert in mesothelioma cases by HASAG, and Jack instructed Andrew in a personal injury claim against The Daily Telegraph. The firm prepared an IIDB application form on behalf of Jack.

Due to his declining health, Andrew visited Jack at home to gather information and prepare a witness statement. Further research established the presence of asbestos in the Linotype machinery he had worked with. A consultant physician confirmed a diagnosis of epithelioid mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure and outlined Jack's reduced life expectancy and the need for increasing care.

Liability was eventually admitted and the parties agreed to settle the claim without the need for trial. Andrew secured damages of £171,000 for Jack, which funded the care he needed to live as comfortably as possible during the last stages of his illness.

After the settlement, Jack's son spoke to Andrew on behalf of the whole family. He said:

"We all wish to thank you very much for your efforts. As his disease has progressed, Jack has taken a great deal of comfort from this process.

"Knowing that the settlement would make a difference to the family’s future somehow provided him a ‘rationale’ for going through the illness. Depression is a very common side-effect with cancer, but Jack's spirits were lifted with every update I gave him.

"The difference you made is not just financial — it has made a positive difference to Jack’s welfare throughout his illness."

Contact us

For further information about mesothelioma compensation claims, please call Andrew Morgan on 0330 460 6737 or email andrew.morgan@fieldfisher.com.

Alternatively

• You can speak to our asbestos disease lawyers on freephone 0800 358 3848
• email us: personalinjury@fieldfisher.com
• Complete the short online enquiry form

All enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you including no win no fee.