27/04/2010 - 'Toxic' sofas payout agreement made
Payouts totalling up to £20 million are to be made to hundreds of customers injured after buying "toxic" sofas, the High Court heard.
Many victims should receive "swift" payouts after an agreement was made between lawyers, Mr Justice MacDuff heard. Between 1,500 and 2,000 claimants could "potentially benefit" from a "claim handling agreement", the judge was told in London.
The agreement will "open the way to swift compensation for many hundreds" of people, but does not resolve the whole of the litigation surrounding the purchase of the sofas.
"Combined payouts totalling up to £20 million" will be made to around 1,650 victims of "toxic sofas" manufactured in China, which caused "serious burns", a statement issued by the lawyers after the hearing said.
They are expected to receive between £1,175 and £9,000, depending on the severity of their symptoms. Legal action is still ongoing in 3,000 cases where liability remains in dispute.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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