Public housing tenant wins asbestos settlement

Author: Fergus Shiel, Law Reporter
Date: 02/05/2003
Words: 265
Publication: The Age
Section: News
Page: 7

 

 A woman who developed lung cancer after she was exposed to asbestos while living in public housing has won her battle for compensation.

Pamela Jean White, 45, who is gravely ill with pleural mesothelioma, reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with the Director of Housing.

Mrs White, a married mother of three boys aged 6, 16 and 24,
sued the Housing Commission in the Supreme Court for having failed to take reasonable care to ensure she was not injured.

She argued it had failed to provide a safe property for her to live in.

Mrs White's niece, Nicole Watt, told The Age that it was a relief that the case had been settled, but her aunt's nightmare continued. ``She's too sick to care about the settlement," she said.

Mrs White, of Reservoir, was repeatedly exposed to asbestos when Housing Commission workmen renovated her parents' home in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

Mrs White's solicitor, Peter Gordon, of the law firm Slater & Gordon, told The Age that many Housing Commission tenants had been exposed to the same asbestos risks as Mrs White.

" They weren't even armed with the truth about it, in spite of the fact that the Victorian Government had been aware of the dangers since 1945, " Mr Gordon said.

Mrs White fell ill for the first time three years ago, dramatically losing weight and finding herself in excruciating pain.

Ms Watt said Mrs White was being cared for by her husband, Gary, at home, but she was spending more and more time in hospital.

( Mrs White died on 19 October 2003 )