WIDOW FIGHTS ON FOR HUSBAND'S PAYOUT

From DERBYTELEGRAPH.CO.UK

A Widow who lost her husband to an asbestos-related disease has been thrown a lifeline in her fight for compensation.

In February, Angela Cox was awarded a six-figure sum by the courts against one of her late husband Derek's previous employers.

Rolls-Royce Industrial Power (India) Ltd was ordered to pay the money within a month.

But Mrs Cox is still waiting for the cash because the company, previously called International Combustion Ltd, is appealing against the ruling.

The insurance company which covered her lawyers' costs for the original hearing was not prepared to cover the appeal, which is due next month at the High Court

But now she has found a new insurance company to take up her case.

She said: "So many times over the past five years I have been close to giving up. But Derek's last words to our daughter Deborah before he died were to make sure we fought this all the way."

Mr Cox was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in August 2001 and was nursed at home by his wife until he died, aged 63, in February 2002.

Along with daughter Deborah, 37, he left three other children, Melanie, 39, Michael, 33 and Maria , 29.

A trained welder, Mr Cox worked for several companies at coal-fired power stations where he was exposed to asbestos. After his death, Mrs Cox tried to seek compensation but discovered many of these companies had gone out of business or could not be traced.

However, the 61-year-old, of Springfield Road, Swadlincote, was able to successfully sue Rolls-Royce even though the company argued that Mr Cox had not worked for them long enough for any asbestos exposure to have caused his illness.

Mrs Cox's solicitor, Isobel Lovett, of Sheffield-based Ashton Morton Slack, said it was a real shame the original insurers had decided to withdraw.

She said: "However, we are now very fortunate that we have found a new company, Lamp Services Ltd who are prepared to take this on. It would have been a gross travesty of justice had she been denied that opportunity simply because an insurer was unwilling to back her case further."

Mrs Cox expressed her relief that Lamp Services, based in West Sussex, had stepped in to help.

Rolls-Royce said that it would be inappropriate to comment while the case was on-going.