We acted for Rosalie Cooper and her family following her diagnosis with mesothelioma resulting from exposure to asbestos during her employment as a vegetable packer.

Rosalie Cooper worked for Dalgety Produce at their factory in Floods Ferry in March, Cambridgeshire between 1991/92 and 2003. She was initially employed as a vegetable packer and then later as a line supervisor. Rosalie’s husband, Brian, also worked at the factory as a supervisor.

Rosalie was exposed to asbestos dust from regular building work which took place at the factory in order to expand the buildings as the factory gradually increased in size. Many of the older buildings in the factory had been made from asbestos sheets and the construction work to expand the factory regularly involved the asbestos sheets being broken or removed or damaged whilst the building work went on. Many of the walls of the factory were also lined with asbestos sheets and forklift trucks carrying vegetable boxes regularly knocked into these sheets, releasing asbestos dust into the factory environment.

Rosalie worked throughout the factory and was regularly close to building work or areas in the factory where there was asbestos dust and debris, and she became contaminated with this. Rosalie also washed Brian’s work clothes. Brian became contaminated with asbestos dust from working in the factory too, in the same way that Rosalie was contaminated.

Rosalie first noticed breathlessness in around October 2017 and underwent investigations at Peterborough.  She was given a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma in December 2017 and after a brave battle with the disease she sadly passed away in October 2018.

Following Rosalie’s death, Brian and the family decided to investigate a claim for compensation for Rosalie’s illness and instructed Patrick Walsh to pursue the claim. A court claim was successfully brought on behalf of Brian against Rosalie’s former employer and Brian recovered substantial damages.

Rosalie’s daughter-in-law, Judy, said, “Brian is very grateful to the team at Leigh Day for all the hard work put into the case to secure this outcome, and feels justice has been done for Rosalie.”