Fw: Role in breast implants saga praised

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----- Original Message -----

From: " Kathi " <pureheart@...>

Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 5:39 PM

Subject: Role in breast implants saga praised

>

> From: ruby rahn <rubyrm@...>

>

> Australia's biggest-selling daily newspaper

>

> Role in breast implants saga praised By LISA WALKER of AAP September 10,

> 2002

>

> - THOUSANDS of women with faulty breast implants received

> individual payouts of up to $120,000 in one of Australia's largest

> class actions that had its final chapter today.

>

> In the last court appearance to finalise the 10-year claim by 3100

> Australian women, Justice Barry Beach paid tribute to the " remarkable

> result " which was unique to the Australian claimants.

>

> Lawyer Gordon had " left no stone unturned in his efforts to

> obtain compensation for the Australian claimants and achieved a result

> that has not been achieved on behalf of other claimants throughout the

> world, " Justice Beach said in the n Supreme Court.

>

> " Indeed, there is material before the court to the effect that if any of

> the other claimants are ultimately successful in their claims, it may

> well be some five to 10 years or so before they receive compensation. "

>

> Justice Beach said there were about 197,000 other claimants worldwide

> seeking compensation from the US company, Dow Corning, which went into

> bankruptcy in

> 2001.

>

> Mr Gordon said most of the Australian women had received their share of

> the $35 million lump sum settlement.

>

> The payouts ranged from several hundred dollars from women who suffered

> no injuries, to $120,000 for women who suffered catastrophic injury.

>

> Mr Gordon said he had made use of a window of opportunity, that had now

> closed, and negotiated the lump-sum settlement with the US insurers of

> Dow Corning.

>

> " The sense of relief and happiness that this is over for the women has

> been overwhelming, " he said.

>

> But he warned that such results would not be achieved under proposed

> changes to the nation's tort system proposed by NSW Premier Bob Carr

> and Prime Minister .

>

> The politicians were attacking the rights of ordinary people as they

> attempted to reduce the liability of government and big corporations,

> he said.

>

> " Those are attacks which, if they were in place today, would affect most

> of these women and deny most of these women any compensation at all, "

> he said.

>

> He said it would be unjust to protect some of the " biggest, ugliest and

> most negligent companies in the country " under the pretext of trying to

> protect community organisations and street fairs.

>

> " We toy with it at our peril ... the laws that Carr and are

> proposing are not just to protect pony clubs, they are to protect

> asbestos companies, tobacco companies, pharmaceutical giants - all of

> the big nasties that you see in these courts everyday. "

>

> AAP © Herald and Weekly Times

>

>

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