Business Case Studies & Business Publications

South African Mining and Asbestos-Relate...

Werhane, Patricia ...

Case

South African Mining and Asbestos-Related Diseases (B)

Werhane, Patricia H.; Swart, Regina; Painter-Moreland, Mollie; Mead, Jenny

E-0286 | Published April 11, 2006 Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

The other South African claimants in a lawsuit against the multinational companies, particularly Cape plc, for sickness and disease that had resulted from asbestos mining moved closer to seeking redress when several British law firms took up their cause. The initial firm, Leigh, Day & Co., battled for the claimants' rights to sue in the British courts rather than the South African courts, the latter of which would be a far weaker venue for the claimants. A British House of Lords' ruling in the claimants' favor gave them hope, but that ruling was reversed a year later, leaving the entire legal case uncertain and the possibility of seeking redress a gloomy prospect. This case is part of a series labeled A through D (UVA-E-0285 through UVA-E-0288).