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A Leeds woman who took on a corporation and won a landmark mesothelioma compensation case has had her story told in the medium of theatre and the community that benefited from her action came together to put on the play which honours her.
In a tale not dissimilar to that of Erin Brockovich, the woman from California who took on a gas corporation over contaminated drinking water, June Hancock's story has been taken to the stage in a one-off, four-night performance of "Dust" to commemorate her victory and to raise awareness of the deadly disease.
Mrs Hancock lived in Armley, close to the J W Roberts asbestos textile factory owned by Turner and Newall. Her mother died from the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, in 1982 and when she too was diagnosed with the disease in 1993, having never worked with asbestos, June Hancock knew she had to fight for justice.
The case was significant because it was the first to establish that a company was liable to local residents for contamination by asbestos. As a child, Mrs Hancock, along with many local children, had played near the loading bay of JW Roberts and many, who told their story to the playwright Kenneth F Yates, remembered making "summer snowballs" from the potentially lethal asbestos dust that lay thickly on the ground nearby.
Mrs Hancock's fight for justice began in January 1994 and in April 1996 she was awarded £65,000 mesothelioma compensation. But the story does not end there as her action paved the way for many other members of the community to bring legal action against the company, indeed it saw communities all over the world who were suffering from asbestos-related diseases to be able to at last bring claims against corporations who had previously only paid damages to employees who had been exposed.
Sadly, Mrs Hancock died in 1997, but her brave fight led to the setting up of the The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund which encourages and supports research into mesothelioma, its causes and its relation to asbestos.
"Dust", performed by 22 Armley residents in an industrial building, as part of the 2009 I Love West Leeds Festival, has received the backing of and heavy involvement from Mrs Hancock's children.
Her son commented, ""We are really proud that this play is happening and really proud of all the people who are giving up their time to tell our mum's story."
Mesothelioma compensation with the experts at YouClaim
Here at YouClaim we deal with sufferers of mesothelioma regularly and we understand how distressing this disease can be. Our friendly and knowledgeable advisors are waiting to talk to you about your mesothelioma compensation claim on 0800 10 757 95.
Our dedicated personal injury solicitors have years of experience in dealing with the complex issues surrounding asbestosis claims. We have already helped many people get 100% compensation from their mesothelioma claim and, as we operate on a strictly no win no fee basis, you can be sure you will never be charged for their litigation services.
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