Harminder Bains was instructed by Christopher Larkin who played the horn in the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the iconic BBC Maida Vale Studios, where celebrities such as Bing Crosby, The Beatles & Pink Floyd had recorded.

The BBC denied exposing Christopher to asbestos and denied retaining any relevant documents. Harminder refused to accept this and made an application for pre-action disclosure to the High Court. Thereafter, hundreds of documents were obtained. Harminder analysed these and noted that the premises did in fact contain asbestos.

The BBC still continued to deny exposure, so Harminder sent the BBC a Part 18 Request which put the BBC on the back foot and rather than respond to this request because it would have been detrimental to do so, the BBC finally conceded liability hours before Christopher died.

Thereafter Harminder represented the family at the inquest where the Coroner held that Christopher had been exposed to asbestos by the BBC. The case is significant as the Maida Vale Studios are still in use and  it was reported widely.

As a result of this case Harminder was able to re-open the case of Edwin Dodd who was another member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which she had previously closed over three years earlier due to lack of evidence. The BBC defended Edwin’s claim on the basis it was out of time. However, Harminder issued proceedings in any event and the BBC paid substantial compensation.

Mr Larkin’s daughter Helen gave the following Trustpilot review:

“My father fought a painful battle with mesothelioma caused by asbestos in his workplace of 36 years. Harminder and her team at Leigh Day not only won dad’s case, winning much needed compensation for the family, but supported him sensitively and compassionately when he was alive, making a huge difference to his sense of being and hope. I couldn’t praise this firm highly enough”.