By David McIntosh and Richard Tovell
This article first appeared in Insurance Day, October 2002
At the Debate in the House of Commons on 24 October 2002 Labour's new Minister for Work Nicholas Brown signalled that the Government is to press ahead with amendment of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987, and the HSE promises that the much delayed new regulations will be published next week. They could be yet another nail in the coffin of UK's industry and its beleaguered insurers. As usual, it is worth looking across the Atlantic to see what lessons can be learned.
Lloyds and the London market are already reeling under the weight of a never ending stream of US judgments caused by the exorbitant awards that the US Courts are happy to make and the "me too" mentality of US claimants. The recent study by the Rand Corporation has identified that an astonishing two-thirds of US claimants have not suffered any detectable physical injury. Greedy US attorneys are busy lining
